End of life planning — “The Book”

Settling the affairs of someone who dies is a onerous task. It must be started concurrent with grieving. There are all sorts of legalities. Tax issues. Bills due, memorial planning, and often family issues long dormant need to be handled.
My mother-in-law, before she died at 97, created “the book”  for her end of life planning method. She had references to all insurance, bank accounts, wills, and directives, My sister-in-law, the estate administrator, still did not have an easy time. It is just plain a lot of work, some sleuthing, learning about the legalities. And yet in comparison with when my dad died, it was an easy job. Because she had “The Book.”

Susan and I have been compiling our own form of “The Book.”  We call it the “Red Book” because it’s in a red binder. We know there are still missing things. Our will needs updating, not all financial items are detailed, but we do have medical directives, passwords, body donor papers, and everything we have been able to think of, detailed.

“Good to go” – a to do list

It’s the “everything we have been able to think of” that is the problem. We don’t know what we are missing. So, the other morning when I heard the NPR Morning edition news cast about a woman who has started a business helping people create “the book” which she, Amy Pickard, calls the “Good to Go” files. She has an outline of items to be included. She provides phone or skype interviews to those who wish support, and she encourages parties to help  friends and family become aware of the need for “Good to go” files. “Everyone, at all ages”, she says, “needs this.”

I thoroughly endorse the concept that she is doing, but I personally haven’t seen her material, and since Susan and I are well along on our own notebook we probably won;t buy her $55 dollar outline. If  you do, I’d appreciate your review of the material in the comments section below.

NPR Interview

“Good to Go” website