Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To

Cover......Page 1
Title Page......Page 4
Table of Contents......Page 8
Your Get It Together Companion......Page 14
About This Book......Page 16
Who Needs to Plan Ahead?......Page 17
The Importance of Complete Planning......Page 19
Completing Your Planner......Page 22
What the Planner Contains......Page 23
Seven Steps to Preparing Your Planner......Page 24
1: Instructions......Page 32
In Your Planner......Page 34
Keeping Your Documents Up to Date......Page 36
2: Letter to Loved Ones......Page 38
Tips for Writing Your Letter......Page 39
In Your Planner......Page 42
Keeping Your Letter Up to Date......Page 43
3: Biographical Information......Page 44
Where to Get Help......Page 45
In Your Planner......Page 50
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 52
4: Children......Page 54
Arranging Care for Children......Page 55
In Your Planner......Page 57
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 59
5: Others Who Depend on Me......Page 60
In Your Planner......Page 61
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 62
6: Pets and Livestock......Page 64
Arranging Care for Pets......Page 65
In Your Planner......Page 66
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 68
7: Employment......Page 70
In Your Planner......Page 71
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 72
8: Business Interests......Page 74
Estate Planning for Small Business Owners......Page 75
In Your Planner......Page 77
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 81
9: Memberships and Communities......Page 82
Types of Memberships and Communities......Page 83
Online Connections After You’re Gone......Page 84
Transferring Frequent Flyer Miles......Page 86
Where to Get Help......Page 87
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 88
10: Service Providers......Page 90
In Your Planner......Page 91
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 93
11: Health Care Directives......Page 94
Types of Health Care Directives......Page 95
How Health Care Directives Work......Page 96
Choosing Your Health Care Agent......Page 97
What You Can Cover in Your Health Care Directives......Page 99
Where to Get Help......Page 102
In Your Planner......Page 103
Keeping Your Documents Up to Date......Page 104
12: Durable Power of Attorney for Finances......Page 106
How Durable Powers of Attorney for Finances Work......Page 108
Choosing Your Agent......Page 110
In Your Planner......Page 113
Keeping Your Documents Up to Date......Page 114
13: Organ or Body Donation......Page 116
Do You Want to Be a Donor?......Page 117
Where to Get Help......Page 119
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 120
14: Burial or Cremation......Page 122
Burial or Cremation?......Page 123
Related Decisions......Page 128
Where to Get Help......Page 131
In Your Planner......Page 132
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 136
15: Funeral and Memorial Services......Page 138
Types of Memorial Services......Page 139
Where to Get Help......Page 142
In Your Planner......Page 143
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 147
16: Obituary......Page 148
What to Include in Your Obituary......Page 149
In Your Planner......Page 150
Keeping Your Obituary Up to Date......Page 152
17: Will and Trust......Page 154
Which Estate Planning Documents Do You Need?......Page 155
An Overview of Wills and Trusts......Page 157
Choosing Your Executor or Successor Trustee......Page 161
Avoiding Probate......Page 163
Where to Get Help......Page 166
In Your Planner......Page 168
Keeping Your Documents Up to Date......Page 169
18: Insurance......Page 170
What Kind of Insurance Do You Need?......Page 171
Where to Get Help......Page 181
In Your Planner......Page 182
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 183
19: Bank and Brokerage Accounts......Page 184
Making Your Accounts Accessible......Page 185
Avoiding Probate for Bank and Brokerage Accounts......Page 186
In Your Planner......Page 187
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 188
20: Retirement Plans and Pensions......Page 190
What Happens to Retirement Accounts When You Die?......Page 191
Where to Get Help......Page 194
In Your Planner......Page 196
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 198
21: Government Benefits......Page 200
About Social Security......Page 201
Where to Get Help......Page 203
In Your Planner......Page 205
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 206
22: Credit Cards and Debts......Page 208
Evaluating and Reducing Debt......Page 209
Where to Get Help......Page 212
In Your Planner......Page 213
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 215
23: Secured Places and Passwords......Page 216
Who Has Access to Your Safe Deposit Box?......Page 218
In Your Planner......Page 219
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 222
24: Taxes......Page 224
Tax Basics......Page 225
Estate and Inheritance Taxes......Page 226
In Your Planner......Page 227
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 229
25: Real Estate......Page 230
Ways to Own Property......Page 231
Special Rules for Married Couples......Page 233
In Your Planner......Page 235
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 238
26: Vehicles......Page 240
Leaving Your Vehicles to Others......Page 241
In Your Planner......Page 242
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 243
27: Other Income and Personal Property......Page 244
In Your Planner......Page 246
Keeping Your Information Up to Date......Page 248
28: Other Information......Page 250
Appendix A: Using the eForms......Page 252
Reviewing the Files......Page 253
Editing RTFs......Page 254
Appendix B: Lawyers and Other Experts......Page 256
What Kind of Expert Do You Need?......Page 257
Finding an Expert......Page 258
Working With an Expert......Page 259
Making a Fee Agreement......Page 260
My Planner......Page 262
Table of Contents......Page 264
1 Instructions......Page 266
2 Letter to Loved Ones......Page 272
3 Biographical Information......Page 274
4 Children......Page 284
5 Others Who Depend on Me......Page 290
6 Pets and Livestock......Page 294
7 Employment......Page 298
8 Business Interests......Page 302
9 Memberships and Communities......Page 312
10 Service Providers......Page 314
11 Health Care Directives......Page 320
12 Durable Power of Attorney for Finances......Page 322
13 Organ or Body Donation......Page 324
14 Burial or Cremation......Page 326
15 Funeral and Memorial Services......Page 332
16 Obituary......Page 338
17 Will and Trust......Page 340
18 Insurance......Page 344
19 Bank and Brokerage Accounts......Page 354
20 Retirement Plans and Pensions......Page 358
21 Government Benefits......Page 362
22 Credit Cards and Debts......Page 366
23 Secured Places and Passwords......Page 372
24 Taxes......Page 382
25 Real Estate......Page 384
26 Vehicles......Page 392
27 Other Income and Personal Property......Page 396
28 Other Information......Page 406
Index......Page 408
Book Registration and Updates......Page 433