End of life planning doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

The Gracious Exit workbook outlines key questions to consider before making end-of-life decisions. Then we break it into easy sections that you can tackle piece by piece:

• Your Total Financial Picture: Estate plans, investments, real estate, insurance and more
• Your Medical History: Doctors, current medications, immunization records, procedures, and more
• Your Home Team: Who takes care of what around the house, and how to reach them, from the housekeeper to the plumber
• Your Digital Life: Accounts, logins, and a plan to securely share passwords 
• Your Wishes: Memorial service, burial/cremation plans, and estate-related information

Download your FREE Gracious Exit workbook today! Available in English and Spanish.

You may not think of it this way, but all of those individuals you deal with, whether frequently, like your banker, or episodically, like your estate planning attorney, are part of your “financial team”.

You may just look at your last statement to find the phone number you need, or maybe every financial advisor is listed in your contacts, but wouldn’t it be easier to put it all on one or two pages, showing everyone you work with?

Not only will it make it easier for you, once you complete this workbook, but keeping it updated will take only a moment. Equally important, it will make it much easier on your spouse or adult children to be able to work with this team if you become incapacitated.

You might want to bring this with you on your next meeting with your financial planner or estate-planning attorney, just to make sure you have everything listed, with the best plan for you on what happens to each on your death. 

Once you have completed this, it will be easy to keep it updated going forward, as you probably won’t be making lots of changes in any given year.

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Don’t you hate to fill out those long forms at the doctor’s office each time you go to a new doctor? Wouldn’t it be easier to just write “See Attached”? Well, if you spell out your medical history in one document, all you need to do is print a copy each time you visit a doctor.

That’s it. Not too onerous, and can really be done just by pulling out your medical insurance files and your address book.

Why is this important in terms of your end of life planning? At some point, most of us will have some period of time where we are temporarily incapacitated. During this temporary period, someone, perhaps your daughter or son, will be taking care of you, seeing that you get your medications, in the correct dosage, at the correct frequency. They need a map, and this medical record is that map.

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Being a homeowner has plenty of joys, but there is a lot of maintenance that needs to be done over the years, and that means a long list of people who do that work.

This worksheet is meant to spell out, by function, who those people are whom you trust to do things right and stand behind their work. The most reliable plumbers, the electricians who have worked on your home for years, the painters, carpet cleaners, window washers, gardeners, snow plowers, and on and on.  

Once you have this completed, it is useful to keep on your laptop (or by your phone) for easy access. 

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We use Facebook to keep up with friends, we download digital books on our devices, we pay our bills online, and board a flight with our digital boarding pass.  It is not as easy to complete a workbook of every site you use, and the password. Why? Because you have a very real concern about security of that information from falling into the wrong hands.

There are things to consider here when it comes to end-of-life planning: What happens to these when you are gone? How do you transfer all that digital content on your death? How can you protect your digital assets, including your online accounts with numerous companies who have your credit information on file? And if you are incapacitated, how will those who step in on your behalf know what your passcodes are for things they need to do while you are not able to do so?

We’ll walkthrough some considerations for password management, and you can use this part of the workbook to capture your digital accounts and logins to the extent you decide is right for you.

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This workbook is an aid to help you think through exactly what you want to happen when you die.

We’ve broken it down into these areas:
•    Memorial Service and Program
•    Celebration of Life/Reception
•    Your Obituary
•    Burial Decisions
•    Other Advance Preparation to Consider
•    Financial and estate-related responsibilities

Obviously, all of this takes a great deal of thought and time, to fully understand the options you have, the associated costs, and how you want to be remembered. 

But once completed, knowing that every aspect has been thought through can be a great burden lifted from both your shoulders and the person who will carry out your  wishes. And, having everything spelled out can help reduce conflict among family members at a time when emotions are high.

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BONUS CONTENT IN THE "IT'S COMPLICATED" EDITION

A list of family, close friend, and organizations to notify when you die; and if you wish, a call tree for how they should further notify others.

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BONUS CONTENT IN THE "IT'S COMPLICATED" EDITION

Now what? When someone dies, it can be overwhelming thinking about everything that needs to be done. This workbook is intended to help the people stepping in to carry out a loved ones wishes.

We’ve broken it down into three areas:
•    First things first - notifications
•    Memorial service and beyond
•    Financial and estate-related responsibilities