13 Steps to Take When You Lose a Loved One

Have you recently lost a loved one? Losing a loved one is emotionally heart-wrenching and difficult. Being responsible for managing your loved one’s estate and final affairs can make an already terrible situation seem unbearable. With no upfront fees, the experienced probate attorneys at the Atlanta Probate Team can ease your burden and work quickly to protect your inheritance while you take care of yourself and your family.

Step 1: Contact Family Immediately

Start making phone calls as soon as you can to let your closest family members know of your loss. Not only will these people want to know, but they can also be a wonderful source of support for you in your time of need. Further, your closest family members can also help you make important decisions that will need to be made in the coming days and weeks ahead.

Step 2: Make Funeral Arrangements

If your loved one did not express his or her wishes for which funeral home to use and other final preparations, then you will need to make those decisions yourself. It can be helpful to discuss your options with close friends and family, but either way, we’d encourage you to follow your heart in regard to what you think the deceased would have wanted. If your loved one was a veteran, this is also the time to look into any special arrangements that may be available to honor his or her service. Other final arrangements you will need to take care of include:

• Paying for the funeral and burial
• Finding pallbearers for the casket
• Arranging a post-funeral reception
• Purchasing a headstone
• Contacting friends and family about the funeral arrangements
• Keeping track of people who reach out to the family with cards and flowers
• Writing an obituary

Step 3: Contact Extended Family and Friends

Once your closest family members have been informed, get the word out to other people who your loved one knew. Enlist the help of your immediate family to help make phone calls and send emails.

Step 4: Take Care of the Deceased’s Property

If your loved one lived alone, make sure the house is securely locked so no one can get in. Also, make sure the car is locked and parked someplace where you can keep an eye on it. Finally, you can contact the local police to let them know that the house is vacant, and if the home is a rental, you should contact the landlord or property manager, too.

Step 5: Contact the Post Office

If you fail to contact the post office, your loved one’s mail will start to accumulate quickly which will be a sure sign that the house is empty. Further, there is likely mail that needs to be attended to as well. Inform the post office that your loved one has passed on and have the mail forwarded to you or someone else who is willing to accept it. As items like credit card bills and subscriptions come in, begin contacting the proper people to have them canceled. Make a list of all the important bills that come in through the mail and share that information with the executor.

Step 6: Get Duplicate Death Certificates

In the weeks following your loved one’s death, you will need several copies of the death certificate. So, get at least 10 of them as soon as you can. You can either contact the funeral director to help you get them or you can order them from the vital statistics office of the state where the death occurred.

Step 7: Notify the Social Security Administration

If your loved one did not express his or her wishes for which funeral home to use and other final preparations, then you will need to make those decisions yourself. It can be helpful to discuss your options with close friends and family, but either way, we’d encourage you to follow your heart in regard to what you think the deceased would have wanted. If your loved one was a veteran, this is also the time to look into any special arrangements that may be available to honor his or her service. Other final arrangements you will need to take care of include:

• Paying for the funeral and burial
• Finding pallbearers for the casket
• Arranging a post-funeral reception
• Purchasing a headstone
• Contacting friends and family about the funeral arrangements
• Keeping track of people who reach out to the family with cards and flowers
• Writing an obituary

Step 8: Cancel Medicare or other Insurance Policies

As you go through your loved one’s personal effects, make note of Medicare and other insurance policies. Make sure you cancel everything of that nature to which your loved one was making payments.

Step 9: Check On Employment Benefits

If your loved one was working, contact his or her employer to talk about a pension plan, credit union accounts, union death benefits, and any other accounts that the deceased may have had through work.

Step 10: Notify Financial Institutions

Let all of your loved one’s financial institutions know of your loved one’s death. Doing so is especially important for places where the interest can accrue or late payments can be assessed for lack of payment. The types of institutions that should be informed include:

• Banks
• Credit unions
• Mortgage holders
• Credit card companies
• Financial advisors
• Credit reporting agencies