A What to Do Checklist for After the Funeral

Many of us see funerals as highly emotional and stressful. We may dread planning the funeral of our loved one, but it has to be done. And, somehow we get through it. However, what do we do once the funeral is over? It is a common question many of us have. “What happens next?” This an important question because there are still steps you need to take to tie up any loose ends concerning your loved one. Here is a list of some of the things you may want to do after the funeral of your loved one:

• Obtain certified copies of the death certificate. Each and every case is different because you will need a death certificate for numerous reasons. Some companies will make a copy of the death certificate, while others will need to keep the certified cop. This means you will need to talk with one of the funeral directors to see how many copies you will need.

• Find out if there is a will. It can be difficult if the deceased never discussed a will with anyone. You may need to check with the lawyer of the deceased, check to see if your loved one has a safety deposit box, go through their home safe or look through the state Will registry.

• Contact their employer or union. Some employers and unions offer death-related benefits. You will need to call and see if you qualify for any. This means you may have to answer some questions, provide a death certificate and change any relevant contact information they may need.

• Cancel their health insurance coverage. Once again, you may need to answer some questions, leave your contact information in case they have any more questions for you and provide the company with the death certificate or a copy of the death certificate.

• Contact the life insurance company. Not everyone has life insurance, and some have more than one policy. It varies from one person to the next. You will have to provide each and every life insurance company with the death certificate and provide the company with any other paperwork they may need.

• Initiate probate. You do not have to be the executor to initiate probate. As long as you have an interest in the estate and the executor fails to initiate probate in a timely way, you are able initiate probate. You may need to hire an estate settlement lawyer to help you through the process.

• Redirect the mail of the deceased. If you do not live with the deceased, you will need to redirect any mail to your address. They may have important paperwork coming through the mail, and you do not want to misplace any important documents. You can go online or make a trip to your local post office to fill out the change of address forms.

• Keep their bills up to date. You will need to ensure that the bills of the deceased are being paid because you do not want them to become delinquent. Many people pay them automatically, and this could help you out. However, if they do not, then you will need to ensure that everything stays paid up.

• Inform the utility departments. You may need to close the accounts of the deceased, or in some cases, the utility department may allow you to switch over the bill. This way you can simply change the name and the contact details on the bill and still obtain service.

• Transfer titles on their property. You will need to contact the proper state authorities and get any property titles switched over into your name. You will also need to inform any car insurance or property insurance company to switch over, cancel or change coverage on the property.

• Close their credit cards. You will have to contact each and every credit card company. Then you will have to provide each company with the death certificate and any other paperwork they may need to close the account.

• Close or switch over their bank accounts. Depending on the bank’s policy and your relationship to the deceased, you may be able to switch over the bank account into your name. If the bank does not allow this, you may simply close the account. You will again need to provide them with a death certificate and fill out all the necessary paperwork.

• Transfer stocks and bonds. They can be switched over into your name dependent on your relationship with the deceased. Once again, you will need to supply them with the death certificate and fill out all of the necessary paperwork.

• Notify any other policyholders to change their beneficiary status. If the deceased happens to be the beneficiary on any other insurance policies or on the banking or investment accounts of other individuals, then you will need to inform these individuals of the death of a beneficiary. This will allow them the chance to change their beneficiary.

• Inform other agencies of the death. You will need to notify the Social Security Administration, and if they were in the military, you will need to contact the Veterans Administration. They may also be members of other clubs and organizations, such as Rotary clubs, gym memberships, country clubs, and even Costco memberships. All of these organizations will need to be notified of the death in order to cancel the memberships.

• Digital estate. This is a new age we are living in, and it seems as if everyone is online. These days you will also need to inform any online networking sites the death. You will also want to close any online banking or investment accounts and shut down any email accounts of the deceased.

It can be a struggle trying to get everything done after a funeral, especially when emotions are running so high. Do not forget to ask others for help. They can easily attend to many things on the list and help walk you through the other tasks on the lists. It will be a difficult time for you, so do not be afraid to reach out to others just their presence can be reassuring.