What else when retirement ends?

[Knight]

That was the nicest way I could think of to post about when a spouse dies. That is the end of retirement RIGHT!! I didn't know what to leave as an outline for my wife so I asked the firm where we have our accounts, the local police department & company that has our burial arrangements. These as question apply to me where I live so if it helps as an outline or as something not typically thought about I hope it helps. Location and country might be differant so this is in general terms.
I expect to die before my wife does since I am older than her and males have a shorter life span according to the acuturial tables. My questions were centered around me dying of natural causes in my bed at home which I hope is how it happens.
With the police
1. Call 911 or 311 ? Here 911 and explain that a death has happened of natural causes and ask that EMT's and police show up to verify the circumstances. That rules out any suspicion and makes getting a death certificate take place in a timely manner.
Financial institution
1. Are our portfolios set up to automatically transfer to the surviving spouse?
2. What will be needed to verify that the accounts should be transferred? Answer. A copy of the death certificate is needed to verify death.
Burial company
1. Is there a way to have our sons fly without costing a fortune in last minute flight bookings? Answer. They will help with making flight arrangements.
Life insurance
What is needed to file the claim? Answer. A copy of the death certificate.

It all begins with calling the police to get cause of death accurate so there is no question about cause and everything can proceed smoothly.
My sons have copies of what I found out so they know what to do when their mother dies. I also advised them to work with our lawyer so they get their inheritance processed in a timely manner with no last minute aggravation.

 

[nvtribefan]

Good idea to plan ahead. In some places, an unattended death (someone not under medical care) may require an autopsy.
We expected my mother to outlive my father. She died unexpectedly at 75 and he is still going strong at 87.

 

[jujube]

Good idea to plan ahead. In some places, an unattended death (someone not under medical care) may require an autopsy.
We expected my mother to outlive my father. She died unexpectedly at 75 and he is still going strong at 87.

My husband was still technically alive when the paramedics got there, but was definitely not living when they loaded him into the ambulance to take him to the hospital. I'm assuming he was pronounced dead at the hospital. I don't know what qualifies as an attended or unattended death, but the medical examiner required an autopsy before releasing his body to the cremation people.

 

[Myquest55]

As unpleasant a subject many people think this is - it IS necessary to discuss! Thank you, Knight, for your thoughts. I keep track of the family finances and my husband may pass before me, but I have created a large binder with all of that information for him or our sons, should they need it. My father also has a work sheet with that information, his company gave him when he retired - something like that must be out there to copy or download.

(Here I took a moment to do a quick search. Consumer Reports has this: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/10/what-to-do-when-a-loved-one-dies/index.htm but there may be others) AARP has a very detailed list - good stuff, just in case!

I would like to add one this to the list - don't forget your online presence. Make sure there are a list of websites with sign-ins and passwords so the survivors can delete them or notify your forums/groups that you are gone. I recently got a "spam" e-mail from someone I knew was passed away three years ago - kind of unnerving.