The Credit Professional Winter 2018 Dec_2018_magazine | Page 14

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taken and the documents
you’ve received.
Even if you’ve never been
organized before, you must
start now. Keep track of all the
legal and financial issues
related to your spouse’s death
and your financial future.
Consider creating binders or file
folders to sort information by
categories such as death
certificates, insurance, the
will, probate, loan or credit
card payments, bills,
and miscellaneous.
If this seems overwhelming,
then pull out some old shoe
boxes or large, clear plastic
storage bags, write labels on
them, and set them in a specific
spot on the kitchen counter.
The key is to retain and store
documents so you can find
them when you need them.
certificate as part of their
standard services. Certified
copies also are available for a
small fee from local government
offices such as the Health
The death certificate is an
essential legal document for the Department or Register
of Deeds.
surviving spouse. You cannot
file for insurance or Social
Security benefits, claim control Share copies of the death
certificate only with
of joint assets, or obtain your
organizations you know and
inheritance without a death
trust. Remember that thieves
certificate. Expect many
can use a death certificate to
different businesses and
steal the identity of you or your
agencies to require a copy of
the death certificate to respond spouse to commit fraud. Keep
extra copies of the death
to your requests and rights as
certificate in your safe or
a surviving spouse. Some
organizations allow you to fax a another secure location.
copy of the death certificate to
What other vital
them, while others will require
documents do you need?
a certified copy.
Do you have at least
10 copies of the
death certificate?
Funeral homes often provide
certified copies of the death
Filing for insurance, benefits,
and joint assets will require
making contact with the
appropriate organizations and
then supplying vital documents.
Be prepared by assembling
this information:

Insurance policies, which
may include life, health,
mortgage, auto, credit card,
and accident policies. Check
with your spouse’s employer
to see if there was workplace
coverage. Coverage may
vary depending on the
circumstances and your
personal situation, so be
thorough. If your spouse is
killed in a vehicle accident,
for example, your policy
may include a death benefit
provision that delivers a
lump-sum payment.
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The Credit Professional
13
December 2018