The following happened three times this month to people I know!

Here’s the story: Somebody died with no will, and left their loved ones to deal with the aftermath.

My friends are having trouble getting into bank accounts to pay funeral expenses, getting into apartments to clear out belongings, dealing with funeral homes, getting access to email accounts so they can notify the near and dear of the sudden departure, and trouble tracking down veterans’ benefits and mortgages and leases and insurance policies.

Squabbling over the heirlooms will happen next. Meanwhile, there are disputes about who shall serve as executors.

It would have been so simple for these now-departed souls to make some arrangements before the inevitable day arrived.

Passwords, bank details, powers of attorney, car titles and all other legal documents – these may be kept discreetly hidden, with an “in case of emergency” note prominently featured someplace in the home.

Copies of all the items in your wallet, such as licenses and credit cards (front and back) should be in there, too.

Banks are quick to freeze accounts. Thawing them can be difficult without the right paperwork.

Please use your platform to explain in your inimitable way that nobody gets out of here alive, and it is a kindness to formally make one’s wishes known and one’s arrangements transparent – instead of burdening those who love you with cleaning up your affairs while they grieve.

– Worried