“What-if” End-of-Life Planning Blog
Don’t Poke the Care BEAR!
Don't poke the care bear! Being a caregiver to a loved one during a long-term illness was a life-changing, difficult, yet very meaningful experience. Turns out caregiving brings its own set of challenges while your person is also having life-changing, difficult and hopefully meaningful experiences.
Term versus Permanent
For most people, life insurance should be a key component of your end-of-life plans. It can play a huge role in easing the burden of death by allowing the surviving spouse to hire others to help with day-to-day tasks and/or replace lost income and keep paying the bills. The two main types of life insurance are described in this blog.
The Estate Planning Time
Just because we don’t have large and expensive kinds of assets, doesn’t mean we don’t have an estate and a need for estate planning. In this week’s blog, find out what an estate plan is and how you can get started.
Planning for a Funeral
Whether it’s called a funeral, memorial, or celebration of life, honoring the deceased is a custom upheld by most families and communities. Many decisions must be made to prepare for and carry out a service. What happens to the body? Where will the remains reside? What kind of casket or urn is desired? Though each of these components could be a blog all by themselves, this week’s blog addresses what may be the driving force behind how you answer each these questions -- cost.
Carrying Carts & Lightening Loads
Here’s a secret. You DON’T have to do everything on your own. You can if you want, but most people really are amazing in a crisis and truly want to help somehow. Like the pioneers pulling a handcart together– neighbors, friends, even perfect strangers will often want to ease those burdens with you. But, oh, the healing that can take place when you have even more join in. The secret is letting them do it.
Preparing for Single Parenthood
After I was thrust into the world of single parenthood when Kris died, it did not take long before my level of respect for all single parents, regardless of how or why they got into that position, rose through the roof.
Trying to be the mom AND the dad to three girls and one boy is crazy hard!
What is this mental fog?
One of the most important reasons for preparing for the death of a loved one is something called “grief brain or widow’s fog”.
How Everything Began...
Everyone’s got a story about how they arrived to where they’re at. Here’s mine…
One night in June 2015, I returned home late from a work trip to Orlando due to weather delays. When the plane finally touched down in Portland after midnight, I turned my phone on hoping to hear about my daughters’ experiences at an Imagine Dragons concert from that night. Instead, I found this text from my wife…
Spring Time Renewal all Around
While we appreciate how the rain and snow in Oregon sustains a diverse wildlife while keeping the grass green, the lakes and rivers filled, and the flowers blooming, we’re looking forward to this year’s spring and its symbolism of rebirth and renewal.
I Came. I Saw. I Conquered
This week we look at how we can apply one of Julius Caeser’s most famous quotes to end-of-life planning, “Veni. Vidi. Vici.” I came. I saw. I conquered.
“St. Patty’s Luck of the Irish”
While we celebrate the “luck of the Irish” on St. Patrick’s Day, luck is practically non-existent when it comes to getting your affairs in order.
Social Media Accounts
In this week’s tip, we discuss how different social media platforms deal with the accounts of those who have died and what you can do now to make it easier for you and your family to navigate that process when needed.
Top Nine End-of-Life Planning Mistakes
Mistakes are a part of life. Unfortunately, when it comes to end-of-life planning, we don’t get do-overs. We examine the top nine mistakes we and others in our support group made and how you can avoid them in your planning.
Advance Directives are Important
In this week’s tip we address some of the detailed questions and considerations required to create a meaningful advance directive.
Planning for Post-Death Healing Expenses
In this week’s tip, we’ll examine some of the additional post-death expenditures that you may want to factor into your end-of-life planning financial plan. These are expenses that are above and beyond what most people think of when it comes to “death expenses,” such funeral/burial/cremation, medical bills, and legal expenses to execute a will or trust.
Top Five Reasons to Get Your Affairs in Order NOW!
We often don’t get “groundhog day”, second chances in real life, especially when it comes to end-of-life planning. With that in mind, we share our top five reasons why now is the time to get your end-of-life affairs in order.
Practical Preparation for your People
This week our tip focuses on what may be the element of end-of-life planning that most people overlook – the practical preparation of your people — making sure they have the resources and skills to live and care for a household, including all of the chores and tasks that you currently carry out on a regular basis.
Mental, Emotional, & Spiritual Preparation for Your People
This week our tip focuses on what may be the hardest element of end-of-life planning, the mental/emotional/spiritual preparation of your people.
Legal Preparation for Your People
This week our tip focuses on legal preparation for your people – making and communicating the appropriate legal arrangements that will allow your people to settle your estate quickly and efficiently in a way that provides for their needs according to your wishes.
Financial Preparation for Your People
In today’s tip, we focus on financial preparation for your people -- those family, friends, and associates who in some way depend on you financially, will mourn your passing, and will need resources and comfort to move forward in life without you.