Planning For Your Final Journey
There comes a stage in life when it becomes prudent to put plans in place for your final moments. An often harrowing and upsetting time for your loved ones, there is no way of predicting how or when you will pass. It is never too early to plan arrangements for when you die, and doing so now can spare your family the burden at what will otherwise be a difficult enough time for them. It takes courage to consider a world without you in it, and planning for the eventuality now is advised to ensure your affairs are in order as soon as possible in the event of your passing. When someone dies, there are a number of processes that need to be administered, both by law and by custom. This is without evening mentioning the multifold emotional aspects for family members, explored in an earlier issue by Barbara Coombs Lee. These are all concerned with rounding off the life, and deconstructing the arrangements and ultimate will of the deceased. In most cases, this is handled by a loved one, usually a direct family member, who will work with the relevant attorney to unwind arrangements for the estate and funeral of the person who has died. Both the management of the estate and the funeral arrangements themselves can benefit from pre-arrangement by the deceased during their life, and this can save your family stress, time and money when you are gone. When you die, the position of your assets and liabilities at that time will need to be considered in bringing a conclusion to your affairs. Anything of value will instantly become part of the estate on death, and any liabilities will usually be offset against this value. Where there are family still alive, there may be claims in succession rights to a share of the balance of assets and liabilities. However, this is an area that can quickly become complicated by a number of different family members and relationships, and the cleanest option is always to preplan with a detailed will. Writing your will can be a distressing thing to do in life, but it is essential, assuming you want an orderly exit for yourself and your family. Planning this ahead of time can spare the anxieties and stress that come from the resolution process post-death. The other major area of preparation that you need to consider in life is the specifics of funeral care and arrangements. How you are to be buried and commemorated is often left up to family members, or the content in the will. But now, it is much more common for individuals to plan their own funerals. This allows for the stress of the situation to be handled at a less stressful time during life, and ensures this is one less problem for your family to think about. Planning the funeral and burial can take time, but, by working with professional funeral homes like American Crematin & Casket Alliance , you can personally bear this burden in place of those that you will leave behind. In life, as in death, preparation now saves time later on. In the case of planning your final arrangements, this can also put your mind at ease knowing arrangements are in place for your passing and for the processes that will involve. Feel free to share your opinions on this special feature with us.