How can you safeguard the identity of your loved one after they’ve passed away? Identity thieves often target the identity of deceased people, usually to steal their good name and credit rating! They can use the details to open credit cards, take out loans, claim tax refunds, renew passports and purchase products and services, all the while pretending to be someone they are not.
When someone close to you passes away, there is a lot to consider in closing down their life. And often, there is a huge difference in people’s perception of what is involved compared to the reality. I’ve written this article to help prepare you for the process you are getting into.
The diagram below shows what most Executors believe is going to be required. There is the Doctor and funeral, the legal aspects of the Will and inheritances as well as all of the emotions they will feel about their loved one passing away.
When someone close to you passes away, there is a lot to consider in closing down their life. And often there is a huge difference in people’s perception of what is involved compared to the reality. Following on from my earlier blog post about the process involved, I expand on the various aspects of deceased estate administration in more detail.
Sometimes a loved one will be so deeply affected by an issue that they will choose to leave a significant amount of money in their Will to a charity or research organisation battling that issue. This kind of legacy makes a massive difference in the world and working on behalf of our clients to pinpoint exactly which organisation this type of bequest should go to is one of our favourite projects here at Swansong!
Dealing with mental health issues as part of a family death can add a lot of stress. This can add extra complexities and sensitivities right from the moment a family member passes away.
In one case I’ve been involved in, where both parents sadly died in the space of just over one year, special care was required to manage a son with Bipolar disorder. He frequently had a fragile mental state and this required special care from the moment each parent passed.
Dealing with the Will of a parent can sometimes bring siblings into conflict with each other if one or more of them think they have not been treated fairly by their late parent.
In one case I’ve been involved in, the parent who died was estranged from one of her daughters, the only one still living. This daughter was therefore not named as Executor of the Estate, but was a beneficiary in part only.
The Executors were wanting to be very careful in their dealings with this daughter in order to minimise the chance of her contesting the Will.
