MY LAST WILL AND FINAL ARRANGEMENTS Includes: Personal Record Guide Things to Consider Family s Checklist Final Arrangements Online Information
DON T LEAVE YOUR FINAL WISHES TO CHANCE MY LAST WILL AND FINAL ARRANGEMENTS If you die without a will, you are said to have died intestate. Simply stated, intestacy means state law will determine what happens to your property. Under your state s laws, your spouse would not necessarily receive the majority of your property. State laws can vary, and property can be passed to children, siblings, parents and other more distant family members. Also, if you have a favorite charity that you would like to leave some money to, it wouldn t happen since your request wasn t written down. IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU DON T CREATE A VALID WILL, YOUR WISHES MAY NOT BE FOLLOWED. START PLANNING AND DON T POSTPONE WRITING YOUR WILL Funeral arrangements should not be made in a will. By the time the will is located, it may be too late to make the arrangements you desired. Make certain that your loved ones are aware of your preferences by other means, such as a Letter of Instruction. A Letter of Instruction is a document given to an executor or attorney that includes some or all of the following information that can be found on the following pages. We recommend that you take a sheet of paper, or better yet, a notebook so that all pages are bound together, and begin to develop a list for each of the following items to consider for a will.
TO MY FAMILY The information contained in this booklet is for your peace of mind and my own. For yours, because I sincerely believe that this will spare everyone unnecessary expense, grief, and distress at the time of my death. My own, because it means a great deal to me to know that I have taken steps to eliminate as much of the burden of decision making from you, as possible. I have completed this information with much love and thought, feeling that it would cause greater distress if these decisions were left for you to make with no indication of my wishes. I sincerely hope you will find these arrangements in accordance with your own wishes, and that they will ease the burden as much as possible. After all, that is my sincerest intention. Signature Date This booklet should be kept in a place where it will be immediately available at the time of our death. DO NOT KEEP THIS RECORD IN A SAFE DEPOSIT BOX.
PERSONAL RECORD GUIDE Full Name Address City County State Date of Birth Place of Birth (City) County State Social Security Number Education/Degrees Occupation (Or retired from) Employer Marital Status o Never married o Married o Widowed o Divorced Spouse of Maiden Name Name of Father Name of Mother (Maiden) Physician(s) and Phone Number(s) Are you a Veteran? Yes o No o Serial Number Enlistment Date Discharge Date For help or advice in settling my affairs, please consult: Name/ Phone
THINGS TO CONSIDER FOR A WILL Who do you want to be appointed as executor of your estate? o Husband/Wife o Son/Daughter o Relative o Attorney o None o Name Who do you want to get Real Estate and/or Buildings? o Name What Personal Effects do you wish to give and to whom? Item Item Item Item To Whom: To Whom: To Whom: To Whom: Where do you keep the following financial and personal records? o My Will, Living Will, Power of Attorney, Letter of Instructions? o Insurance Policies o Pension, Annuity, 401K o Bank and Credit Card Information o Tax Records o Mortgage Information o Social Security Card, Birth Certificate, Marriage Certificate, Divorce Judgement, etc. o Titles of auto o Where are valuables kept (include keys and/or combinations)? o Additional Information
FAMILY S CHECKLIST Before the Funeral... Notify: Attorney Business Associates Cemetery Florist Fraternal Organizations Friends Funeral Director Minister/Church Newspapers Organist/ Soloist Relatives After the Funeral... Notify: Accountant Bank, credit Union, or Savings & Loan County Recorder Credit Cards Department of Motor Vehicles Insurance Agents & Companies Medicare Military Pension Newspaper/Magazine Subscriptions Post Office Social Security Union Utility Companies Veteran s Organization
FINAL ARRANGEMENTS Following are my final wishes. Please see to it that they are carried out as outlined below. Name of Funeral Home Name of Church Name of Cemetery Burial or Cremation Casket or Urn preference Burial Clothing Jewelry Return to Reserved Facilities, Plots, or Pre need Contract? If yes: Special Readings, Music, Songs Special Ceremonies (military, fraternal order, etc.) Pallbearers: Inscription Send donations to Special instructions
ONLINE INFORMATION Department of Veterans Affairs www.va.gov Social Security Administration www.ssa.gov Cremation Association of North America (CANA) www.cremationassociation.org International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association www.icfa.org The National Funeral Directors Association www.nfda.org Medicare www.medicare.gov U.S. Department of Health and Human Services www.hhs.gov Transamerica Life Insurance Company, Transamerica Premier Life Insurance Company, Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company and their agents and representatives do not give tax or legal advice. This material and the concepts presented here are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax or legal advice. Any tax and/or legal advice you may require or rely on regarding this material should be based on your particular circumstances and should be obtained from an independent professional advisor. Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company is authorized to conduct business in New York. Transamerica Life Insurance Company and Transamerica Premier Life Insurance Company are authorized to conduct business in all other states. Life insurance policies issued by Transamerica Financial Life Insurance Company, Harrison, NY 10528 in New York and by Transamerica Life Insurance Company, or Transamerica Premier Life Insurance Company, Cedar Rapids, IA.52499 in all other jurisdictions. 84345 1214