Tucson Tragedy: In Our Thoughts… January 12, 2011
Posted by beckerbfs in Community.Tags: Downtown, Giffords, Tucson shooting
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Just like in Downtown Tucson, Becker Financial is thinking of the community, and all those affected by the recent shooting on Saturday morning….
Death sucks but settling an estate should be easier…I hope this helps you and your family! November 10, 2010
Posted by beckerbfs in Uncategorized.add a comment
In the middle of trying to settle my dad’s estate, I came across some helpful information that AARP put together a few years back. It may have originally been published in 2004, but the information still holds true today. It discusses the importance of gathering the necessary papers in arranging the final details after a person’s death, in addition to a checklist to refer to that discusses what to take care of in the first month after a person’s death to the first year after the death. Having gone through the process myself, these two lists definitely would help anyone with the necessary steps.
In being realistic and expecting the worst, I, with the help of my family, started to put together the necessary papers, getting all the information necessary related to my father’s many accounts to include his business and personal accounts. This was a task in of itself. I can’t even begin to tell you how much time my family and I spent (and continue to spend) trying to sort the various accounts out. Some good advice is to be organized from the beginning, just in case a catastrophic event happens.
One detail that was particularly important was the death certificate. It is true in that you will need ample certified copies of the death certificate. As we had a lot of various claims to file, this was most beneficial. It’s true that some places will accept a copy, so it is definitely worth it to have a scanned or paper copy of it when you can use it.
One of the most troubling and/or difficult institutions to deal with after a person’s death is a bank. Depending on the financial institution, there are plenty of hoops to jump through to attempt to get what you are looking for, and even after you request the materials, the process can be delayed. Something I had requested 2 months ago is STILL in progress and I have yet to receive it, all the while I am having difficulties getting a live person on the line to tell me what is going on with my request. The last thing a person needs while they are grieving the loss of a loved one is aggravation.
Final Details Necessary Papers: http://www.aarp.org/relationships/grief-loss/info-2005/final_details_necessary_papers.html
Final Details Checklist: http://www.aarp.org/relationships/grief-loss/info-2004/final_details_a_checklist.html
