You’re Dead. Now What?
It seems we are kind of programmed to avoid the topic of our own mortality. Would you agree? It’s funny because that is pretty much the one and only thing that none of us can escape!
As with probably a lot of people, Warren and I didn’t really start thinking about post life prep until our parents started passing away.
Once this happened, we got a reality dose. If the people who raised us and with whom we’ve been so incredibly close our whole life can expire, I guess that means so can we.
Warren and I lost my dad, and both of his parents when they were in their early 70’s, and we were in our mid 30’s. Still a long way from “old age” ourselves, we gave ourselves the luxury of ignoring the inevitable for a little while longer. While we did do up a Will so our kids wouldn’t be left homeless, that was about it. I mean, what else could there be? How naïve we were!
This past winter my sweet Mom passed away at age 90. She outlived the other three parents by 20 years and was coherent and uber organized right to the end. As I’m the only child left, it became my responsibility to finalize all her important documents and take care of her belongings. As I said, she was crazy organized so thankfully I was able to get through the long to do list quite painlessly, all while processing my sadness and grief. What this did though, was give Warren and I the push we needed to get our own affairs in better order because if we aren’t lucky enough to live to the ripe age of 90+, our kids don’t need the headache of combing through our files trying to make sense of it all, while at the same time grieving the loss of their incredibly fun and loving parents! :D
While out for dinner one night recently, the conversation turned to aches and pains, medication and death. (You know you’re knee deep into #midlife when….) One of the guests mentioned the book I’m Dead. Now What? and I ordered it the next day.
What a gold mine!
This book makes deciding what information to keep and to organize a no brainer. From Personal details like social security numbers, ancestry, organization memberships, to medical information such as organ donation, POA (power of attorney), insurance.
Each part has a tab to the next section so it is simple to navigate through for yourself as well as anyone who needs the information in the future. There is a place for your initial wishes at the time of your passing, key contact info for lawyers, accountants, etc., and a place to list all financial numbers.
Please note: This planner is not a legal document and does NOT replace a valid will.
What it does do though, is help you think through and tally up all of the necessary things about your life that will need to be dealt with. Something few of us think about. I’m a bit of a record keeping nerd so I can’t wait to start filling these pages!!
There are a lot of online options for this type of record keeping including this one here https://willful.co/ which we also use, however the I’m Dead. Now What? Planner is a handy slim booklet and the perfect physical copy that you can either keep in your home safe, or give to your loved ones so they are ready when the inevitable happens.
We would love to hear from you in the comments below. Are you organized with your personal and business vital details? What prompted you to get on it, was it a death in the family or are you just incredibly efficient and killing it in the life organization game!
🍁Here’s the Canada link to the book if you’d like to check it out, and here’s the book if you are in the USA!
