short list for pre-death prep

About a year after my youngest brother died of congestive heart failure, I wrote a little essay about "lessons learned". Here are condensed items to consider:

1. Have a will listing who is your executor! Don't make the relative tasked with looking after your affairs have to spent time with the lawyer.

2. Write down what you want done with your body and who you want to cremate or embalm you.

3. In your will, list who gets which of your items. Your relatives might not think your valuables are so valuable.

4. Have a list of all your debts (a simple ledger sheet would work).

5. List your email accounts and your passwords, any blogs you are on, your social network accounts, etc.

6. If you are on the road, be sure to have a letter with the names, addresses, phone numbers and electronic addresses of your family and friends. Don't make the police have to deploy detectives to contact them if you die in a car crash or worst, are found dead in a motel.

7. If you do not have family or friends who are willing to clean up after you, you will then have to find an organization in your community who can help you. Some of these could be:

a. Church
b. Civic Organization (i.e. Lions, Kuakinas, Knights of Columbus)
c. Hospice

If all else fails, you could simply contact an Estate Sales Company (i.e. a company that sells personal items of the recently deceased) and make a deal with them. If you are renting a place, you could ask your minister or even (gag!) the landlord to be there when the vultures come for your stuff and decide who is to receive the cash proceeds. I would not give the proceedes to your landlord as he would probably keep your last month's rent and security deposit even if you had someone to send this money to!