Ease the Transition During Times of Grief

When you pass away (after a long and happy life, of course) you hopefully have a current estate plan in place to provide for your heirs. However, even if you’ve executed the most intricate plan, there is a transition period after the death of a loved one which consists of gathering paperwork and information, paying final bills and expenses, and notifying friends and advisors. It is this transition period, which takes place exactly when your loved ones are experiencing the worst of the grief and shock, which can be the most difficult.

There is no way to eliminate this trying transition, but it is possible to make it a little bit easier. The article Eight Steps to Make Life Easier for Your Heirs, online at Boston.com, gives some simple but effective steps to smooth the way for your loved ones after you’re gone.

Our firm is committed to helping you and your loved ones immediately following your death.

Compiling information in a notebook is a key step. Having to go through a deceased loved one’s drawers and files looking for bank statements or account numbers is not only time consuming, but can be emotionally draining as well. Keeping all of your essential numbers and documents in one clear place will save time and heartache when you’re gone.

Setting aside cash to pay last expenses is another simple step that can be a huge resource later on.

The second to last step, keeping your home market-ready, can be a difficult one, but your heirs will thank you for it. Readying a home to be put on the market is difficult under the best of circumstances; trying to accomplish it in the middle of mourning a loved one can be overwhelming.

There is just no way to avoid the heartache of losing a loved one, but some of the chaos surrounding that transition period can be avoided. By following some of these steps now, you can help your children and family when they’ll need it most.