There are few things that are worse than losing a loved one. Unfortunately, you do not always have a chance to simply grieve, as there are many things that need to be taken care of after someone dies. Here are five things you need to make sure you do once your loved one passes away, to ensure everything goes as smoothly as possible:
- Make funeral/burial/cremation arrangements
- The first thing you should do when a loved one passes away is to arrange for their funeral, as well as any burial or cremation that may be necessary. Check to see if the decedent (the person who died) has any existing arrangements, such as a plot reserved at a cemetery, and make sure to adhere to any wishes about their burial and funeral they may have left behind. Depending on what faith the decedent practiced, you may be on a strict time limit to handle all of these arrangements, so you will need to be ready to do all of this quickly.
- Contact family and friends
- You will need to contact all the decedent’s friends and family to alert them of their death. Aside from giving them the courtesy of knowing their loved one has died, it also gives them an opportunity to prepare for the funeral and make any necessary travel arrangements. It may also be important to contact them for any issues that may arise related to the decedent’s estate.
- Locate the will and other testamentary documents
- Once you have taken care of the most time-sensitive issues, you should locate the decedent’s will or any other testamentary documents that may be relevant. This could include documents related to any trusts they may have opened, any jointly owned accounts they may have, information about life insurance beneficiaries, and any other similar documents. This could be a difficult process, depending on how organized the decedent was, and how much effort they put into planning their estate.
- Secure the decedent’s home (if you are the executor)
- It is sad to say, but many people are not respectful of the dead or their properties. This may include burglars who will take advantage of an empty home to enrich themselves, but it could also include less scrupulous family members who will attempt to walk away with as much of the estate as possible before an accounting can be done. That is why, if you are the executor of an estate, you should move to secure the decedent’s home as soon as possible, which ensures as much of it as possible can be preserved for the decedent’s heirs.
- Contact an estate attorney
- Once you have done all that, you should contact a lawyer with knowledge of estate law who can help guide you through your next steps. They will help you go through any testamentary documents to determine what, if anything, will need to go through probate court, and help you to administer the estate. You already have enough on your plate, after all, so let an estate law attorney guide you through the rest of the process.
Do not try to handle issues related to probate or estate administration on your own. If you or your loved ones are dealing with issues related to elder law, trusts, estates, or real estate, please give the law offices of Mary LaManna-Ulrich a call at (516) 804-2931. We will be happy to provide a consultation and work with you to figure out how best to address your personal concerns.