My uncle, just turned 95, invited me to his death rehearsal. Morbid, but practical.
He showed me where he
has stored his will, title deed to his property, bank information, etc.
He even has a list of
people to invite to his funeral (names and addresses)!
When you are young, you
are immortal. Drawing up a will is conceding that you are going to die, so
avoid it, right? Wrong!
See your bank or lawyer
to prepare your will. If you are living together but not married, conclude a
life partnership (or cohabitation) agreement.
To prepare for your death, I advise you to:
·
Put together a box file containing all your
important documents, and tell your nearest and dearest, where it is. In this
box file, store your will, marriage contract, insurance policies, title deeds,
papers for cars, caravans and boats, timeshare information. and other important
papers;
·
List your creditors (credit card, loans, mortgages,
store accounts, etc.);
·
List important numbers for your heirs, such as the
name of your broker, lawyer, doctor, dentist, financial advisor, etc.;
·
Leave a list of family and friends, to contact on
your death;
·
List what happens to your DSTV, armed response,
personal and home insurance, etc.;
·
Describe where you want to be buried or cremated,
and your funeral wishes, in general;
·
List codes for your security system, and where to
find keys for your safe deposit box, post office box, etc.;
·
List all your virtual
accounts, user names and passwords (ranging from email
accounts to your social networking profiles) and retain these passwords, with
other valuables, in a safety deposit box, to be revealed to your executors, only
on your death.
·
Instruct your executors whether to keep your social
media sites current or delete them. You may, for example, want your executors
to notify your friends or connections of your passing, and to keep the sites
open, as a memorial. If you decide to memorialize your accounts, Twitter and
Facebook will shut down your account, but your executors can set the privacy so
that only confirmed family and friends can see the profile and leave posts on
the profile Wall, in remembrance.
