Not the Time for a Scavenger Hunt

I love a good scavenger hunt, who doesn’t? The thrill of finding clues, solving riddles leading us to the next one until finally you reach the goal (hopefully before everyone else). From car rallies to Easter egg hunts, a scavenger hunt is always a good time. Except when the scavenger hunt begins by the loss of a loved one.

When a person passes away, life inevitably goes on…there are people to notify, paperwork to be filled in and accounts to close. There is a flurry of administration which happens when you die. Important documents like birth certificate, social insurance card and Will are needed at a time like this, not to mention knowing where insurance policies, bank accounts and credit cards were held and what utilities were in the deceased name. The weeks following your death is not the time for your family to START thinking about what needs to be done. It is most definitely not the time for a scavenger hunt to find those things either.

As difficult as it may seem, it is important to discuss death with your family (preferably long before it happens). They need to know where you keep your important documents, where you have accounts and even what you want done to mark your passing. Even if you don’t care what happens to your remains, your family will need to make decisions and they are made more easily when you have a plan before hand. Having these conversations can also help keep family drama in check because everyone will know what your wishes are.

Those tough conversations can help you in the long run, specifically because your final wishes will be known. Planning helps save your loved ones from having to make what seems like hundreds of decisions, and often helps to keep the cost of the funeral down, as purchases are made using rational thought rather than emotion driven grief.

There are many ways to help have a plan, some people create binders where they keep copies of all their important documents and let their children know where they are. Others keep a lock box or safe deposit box with all the important things inside. Once again you must tell someone preferably more than one where it is kept. Finally, others choose to confide in someone other than family, such as a professional to assist them with their final planning. Your financial planner can assist you with estate planning, not only with the monetary things but they can also help your family navigate the claims process with your insurance companies, helping with the administration of the claim.

We are all going to pass away, and while our families will mourn and miss us, we do not have to make it harder on them than necessary. Planning for our end means we are planning on giving our families time to grieve without the interruption of a scavenger hunt.