I am back from 2 WEEKS of church camp. The last week of June our teens from our church went to Panama City Beach for camp – and this week our younger kids went to church camp here locally. I went as a chaperone and group leader. I am exhausted, but I am super excited to be posting again.
While I was “away”, I got thinking about a rather… Ahem … morbid topic. Death. My own death. What would happen to my family if I were to die, unexpectedly? Now, before you think that I am nuts, I am not dwelling on the fact that I am going to die. We are all going to die. What I was concerned with was what would my FAMILY do if I died. See, in my family I am the personal finance “nerd”. I handle all of the bill-paying, the insurance filing, and the money management. We have monthly “budget meetings”, but I handle all of the paperwork. So, I have decided to create a “What to do if I die” folder for my wife. I know, I know. It sounds a bit morbid, but come on. I love my wife and kids, and the LAST thing I want to do is die and leave them in a state of financial panic.
So, here are the things that I will include in the “What to do if I die” folder…
1. A copy of our wills.
2. A copy of our life insurance policies, renter’s insurance, car insurance, etc.
3. A copy of our bank / savings / credit account numbers.
4. A list of passwords / user names for all of our online accounts.
5. A list of phone numbers, including insurance agent, attorney, etc.
6. An “estimate” of our current financial condition… Updated every quater.
Before anyone complains that my wife should know all of these things… She does! She knows where to find them, but I don’t want her to HAVE to find them! I want them all located in a convenient, easy to use folder. In the middle of her loss, the last thing she needs to worry about is personal finance.
Also, I will be increasing my term life amounts.
Whew, aren’t you glad I’m back and posting again? Dork!
Feel free to add your comments on what you think this folder should contain!
i really need to make one of these folders today!
Everyone should make one of these if they are married or not. Those that have to sort thru the rubble of another persons life needs all the help they can get.
My husband passed away a few years ago and I was the one that took care of everything……but I was in no condition to look for things or remember what I needed to look for. Because he was divorced I had to have all the paper work for social security from his previous marriage. Things no one thinks they might need.
Leave the folder with a close relative or best friend or in a safe place where someone can find it.