We all need a way to reserve our last wishes to be carried out as we desire. This estate planning guide checklist will give you peace of mind that all of your affairs are in order, no matter what.
Keep reading and I’ll tell you why keeping all of your Estate Planning information in one place is an incredible gift to your family.
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Maybe you haven’t experienced these exact scenarios, but I’m sure you know someone who has:
What if your Estate Planning information is unexpectedly destroyed by a natural disaster or fire… that also renders you unable to recreate it?
That’s what makes the Estate Planning section of the Information Hub so vital. All the important details in a convenient digital format, stored where you want it and accessible by whomever might ultimately need it.
For a life insurance Q&A with a licensed professional, see this post.
You might have a personal poem or song that you would like included. It is not something that can just be “googled” in the future, so this is where you could ensure it will be found. Maybe you want to write a letter to a family member to read in the event of your passing.
Use this section however you want. This part is whatever you need it to be and it won’t be lost.
I know estate planning can kind of sound gloom and doom to talk about, but I want to share two experiences with you. The first is from my friend, Debra. She told me this story about when her family experienced a loss. Here’s what Debra had to say:
In 2018, my Dad passed away. It wasn’t something we were expected, it happened pretty suddenly. One day we were one big happy family and the next, he was just gone.
Thankfully, my mom was well prepared and already had all of their estate planning information filled out and compiled in one file. She was able to just print off the estate planning worksheets and take them down to the funeral home with her. My Dad had already helped her figure out what the funeral should look like and they had his military papers included so she was able to receive an American flag as part of his end of life celebration.
Now let’s contrast that with the experience of Krista when her brother suddenly passed away:
It was so devastating when my brother unexpectedly passed away in a car accident in 2009. He left behind a 2-year-old daughter and our family was overcome with grief.
Not only did we need to pay for the funeral expenses, but finding insurance policies, passwords and other legal documents was so exhausting. We spent too many hours trying to track down this information while trying to process the grief we were experiencing.
Tyler’s death would have been heartbreaking no matter what, but not having to spend time searching for all the legal documents would have allowed us to focus on helping his daughter and just grieve. I wish we would’ve had the Info Hub.
Two sudden deaths, but two very different experiences. Taking time to work through this estate planning guide checklist allows loved ones to focus on taking care of emotional needs during this stressful situation.
End of life planning might not be the most exciting thing and hopefully it’s not constantly on your mind. But, it is something that will truly help your loved ones during a time of deep grief.
It doesn’t have to be perfect and maybe you need some time to think about what you want it to look like. For most people, estate planning is not something you have experience with and you’d prefer to check it off the list as painlessly as possible. If that’s where you’re at, click here to get the Estate Planning fillable pdf.
If the idea of planning for and protecting your family is empowering, then I would suggest the entire Information Hub. There is no timeline for completing every section, but you will feel so prepared and organized once you’re done.
If you struggle to remember basic info for everyone in your family at inconvenient times, it’s time to finally organize your personal information. The Information Hub has a section for that!
Why you should schedule an emergency preparedness weekend every 6 months, and what you should be doing, reviewing, rotating, and maintaining. Free printable checklist!
If you are totally overwhelmed this simple 72-hour kit schedule will keep you focused so you can actually finish your family’s emergency kits.
