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Set up your phone's emergency infoFirst responders can see it, even when your phone is locked.
Autopsies and the medical examinerWhen one is required, what it costs, and how long it can take.
Belongings: there's no need to rushThe clothes, the dishes, the car in the garage. They can wait.
Burial costs: plot, grave and headstoneCemetery charges come on top of the funeral home's bill.
Cancelling subscriptions (Netflix, gym and the rest)The small charges add up, and some are hard to find.
Choosing a funeral home, and what to know before you callTen minutes of preparation can change the whole conversation.
Claiming life insurance, step by stepUsually one form, one death certificate, and a few weeks.
Cremation: what it costs and what the options areSimpler and usually cheaper than burial, with more choices than people expect.
Death certificates: how many to order and who needs oneMost families end up needing more than they expect.
Do you need a funeral home? Other options families useIn most states, a funeral home is a choice, not a requirement.
Donating a body to scienceOften arranged ahead of time, and not always accepted.
Filing a final tax return for someone who diedOne more year of taxes, usually filed by the executor or spouse.
Freezing vs. closing bank accountsSome accounts stop, some keep going, and some pass straight to someone else.
Green and natural burialNo embalming, no vault, and a simple shroud or casket.
Is embalming required?What it is, when it's usually not needed, and what the alternatives are.
It's okay to choose the simplest optionA simple funeral isn't a measure of love. Many families choose it on purpose.
Looking after yourself while you handle it allThe paperwork matters. So do you.
Notifying an employer and claiming workplace benefitsA job can leave behind more than a final paycheck.
Notifying Social SecurityOften the funeral home does it. A few things are still up to the family.
Notifying the credit bureaus to prevent identity theftA name and Social Security number can still be misused after death.
Obituaries: cost, where to post, and what to leave outA newspaper notice can be expensive. Some details help scammers.
Pausing and forwarding mailMail is a map of every account. It also attracts identity thieves.
Prepaid funeral plans: what to check before buyingThey can help. They can also go wrong if nobody reads the details.
Probate basics: what it is and when it's neededThe court process for settling an estate, and when families can skip it.
Retitling a house or carOwnership has to move into someone's name. How depends on how it was held.
Scams that target grieving familiesObituaries give scammers names, dates and a family that's distracted.
Securing the home and carA quiet house and an unused car are both easy targets.
Someone died at home: who to call firstSudden or unexpected: the call is 911. Expected, under hospice: the hospice nurse.
The after-loss checklist: what to do, in orderMost of it can wait. Here's what can't.
The first 24–72 hoursA short list for the hardest days.
The first month: what can waitA shorter list than it feels like.
The phone plan: don't close it too soonOne phone number can unlock dozens of accounts.
Transportation and mileage charges: what to ask before you signGetting from one place to another can add up quietly.
Veterans burial benefitsFree burial in a national cemetery, a headstone, and some money toward costs.
What a funeral really costs (and where the money goes)The median is several thousand dollars, and the price list is where the details live.
What an executor actually doesA to-do list that can stretch over months, not days.
What happens to debt when someone diesDebt usually stays with the estate, not the family.
What to say when you call: short scriptsA few lines for the calls nobody knows how to start.
What you don't have to decide todayA few things need doing in the first days. Most things don't.
When debt collectors call after a deathWhat they can ask for, and what family members usually don't owe.
When someone dies abroadThe US embassy can help, but it can't pay for anything.
When someone dies in a hospital or hospice facilityStaff handle the first steps. The family's main job is choosing a funeral home.
Who has the legal right to make funeral decisionsIt's set by state law, and it isn't always who the family expects.
Who pays for the funeral, and can the estate pay you back?Whoever signs the contract is on the hook, at least at first.
Your rights with a funeral home: the FTC Funeral RuleA federal rule that lets families pick and choose.
Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Citi: what each one asks forThe big banks ask for similar things, with small differences.
Closing accounts after a death: the order that saves timeDo these in this order and you'll make fewer calls.
Closing an email account (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo)Email is often the last account to close, for good reason.
Different ways to cash out an accountChecks, transfers, and accounts that pass straight to someone.
How to cancel a credit card for someone who diedThe card closes. The balance goes to the estate.
How to close a Chase account for someone who diedChase has a dedicated process, and much of it can start online.
Keeping a closing logOne page that saves dozens of repeat phone calls.
Opening an estate bank accountOne account for everything the estate pays and receives.
PayPal, Venmo and Cash App after a deathMoney can sit in these accounts, and they don't close themselves.
Store cards and buy-now-pay-later accountsThe small accounts that are easy to forget.
Utilities: transfer or cancelSome need to keep running for months.
Apple Legacy Contact, step by stepFive minutes so your family can reach your photos.
Cloud photos: making sure they aren't lostYour photos may be in one account no one else can open.
Google Inactive Account Manager, step by stepDecide what happens to your Gmail, Photos and Drive.
How to find which accounts use two-factor codesA few places to look, about 15 minutes.
Two-factor codes, in plain EnglishThe second lock on an account, and why it trips families up.
Your phone passcode: the six digits that hold everythingPhone makers can't unlock it for your family.
How to bring it up without making it weirdOne sentence is enough to start.
Tell one person where the binder isA plan only helps if someone can find it.
List your auto-paid billsThe bills nobody sees are the ones that keep charging.
No accountant, lawyer or advisor? What to write insteadMost people don't have one. That's useful to know too.
Pets: who takes them?A name and a backup name. That's most of it.
What happens to a car loan when someone diesThe car and the loan go together.
What happens to a mortgage when someone dies?The loan doesn't disappear, and the house usually isn't taken right away.
Do you have life insurance through work?Many people do and don't know it.
Term vs. whole life, in plain EnglishOne is for a set number of years. The other is for life.
Where to find your policy number and coverage amountUsually on the first page of the policy.
Affordable ways to make a willA basic will doesn't have to cost much.
Do I need a will? What happens if you don't have oneWithout one, your state decides.
No will, trust or directive yet? Where to startYou're in good company. Here's the easy order.
Power of attorney, in plain EnglishWho handles things if you can't?
What's a healthcare directive, and how do I make one?Free, about 20 minutes, and a huge gift to your family.
Will vs. trust: what's the difference?Both pass things on. They take different routes.
New baby: guardians and beneficiariesThe few updates that matter most.
Co-signers: what happens to a loan when someone diesThe co-signer usually still owes it.
How to find all your accountsThe forgotten ones are the ones families lose.
Is it safe to write account numbers down?Mostly yes, with a few sensible limits.
Where to find your routing and account numbersThey're on the bottom of a paper check and in your bank's app.
Bitwarden's free plan, set up in 15 minutesA free password manager with no time limit.
Password book vs. password manager: honest pros and consBoth work. Here's how to choose.
Print backup codes for your emailA short list of codes that opens the door when the phone can't.
Where do people actually store their passwords?The honest answer, with pros and cons.
Where to keep your binderSafe, but not so safe nobody can get to it.
How to write a letter to your familyThere's no wrong way. Short is fine.
Is a "who gets what" list legally binding?Usually not on its own. But it can still help.
How many years of tax returns to keepThree years covers most people. Some keep seven.
How to replace a birth certificate or Social Security cardBoth can be replaced. One is usually faster than you'd think.
Keeping your binder secure: where to store it and who gets accessSafe enough to protect it. Easy enough for family to find.
Should copies of your ID go in the binder?Copies can help. The originals usually stay put.
How to add a POD beneficiary to a bank accountTen minutes, usually free.
How to put a beneficiary on fileA short form that can matter more than your will.
Life insurance beneficiaries, and why your will doesn't override themThe form wins, not the will.
Living trusts: how they work and what they costA way to skip probate for almost everything, if it's set up all the way.
Payable-on-death (POD): what it meansOne free form that can skip months of court.
Putting things into a living trustSigning the trust is step one. Moving things into it is the part people skip.
Transfer-on-death (TOD) for investment accountsThe investment version of POD. Usually free, usually online.
Transfer-on-death deeds for your homeIn many states, one recorded form can pass a house without court.
Ways to pass on assets without probate: one-page chartOne form per account can skip the court.
The subscriptions that kept chargingWhere the forgotten ones hide.