Nobody particularly enjoys talking about death, but at this stage of life, it’s a conversation worth having. So I hopped on the XMAX and took a ride to a local cemetery to talk about something that really isn’t about dying at all. It’s about taking care of the people we love.
If something happened to you tonight, would your spouse or children know what to do tomorrow? Would they know where your will is, what bank and investment accounts you have, who the beneficiaries are, where important documents are kept, how bills are being paid, or how to access the digital parts of your life? Do they know your wishes concerning a funeral, burial or cremation?
This episode isn’t legal or financial advice, and I’m certainly no expert. I’m simply suggesting that those of us in this season of life think through these questions, talk with the appropriate professionals when necessary, and make sure somebody we trust knows where everything is.
That might mean reviewing wills, powers of attorney, trusts, beneficiary designations, bank and investment accounts, insurance policies and real estate. It might mean creating a simple master list showing what you have and where things can be found. And these days, it also means thinking about passwords, phones, email, online accounts, photos and the rest of our digital lives.
There’s another matter many of us probably need to address: all our stuff. We’ve spent decades accumulating things, and someday somebody else will have to decide what happens to all of it. Retirement may be a good time to simplify, give meaningful things away and reduce the burden we eventually leave behind.
Grief is hard enough. We don’t need to leave the people we love a scavenger hunt.
Getting our affairs in order isn’t about expecting to die anytime soon. Hopefully, we’ve all got plenty of living left to do. It’s simply one more way to take care of our families.
Maybe getting things organized now is one of the last—and most thoughtful—gifts we can give the people we love.
And then?
Go live your life. Perhaps INSIDE Hot Springs Village.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 38:26 — 17.6MB)
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