10 Tips for Planning Your Funeral

This is a sad, uncomfortable subject, but it needs to be discussed. We never know what tomorrow will bring us. In January 2020, I personally was in the hospital for 8 days with the Delta COVID. I was on oxygen and doctors told me I might have to go on a ventilator. My sons who

As an adult child, maybe one of your parents has passed away. Or maybe the other parent is still living in the family home. They have become more fragile physically and maybe mentally. How do you begin that talk? If there are several adult children, schedule a weekend you all get together at the family

Are you wanting to stay in your home for as long as you can? Age in Place? $75 OFF OUR SERVICE If YOU SIGN UP AND PUT A DEPOSIT DOWN ON OR BEFORE FEB. 28th. Do you not want to move to a retirement community until you need to? Or are you on a waiting

Source: Paula Span, The New York Times, December 7, 2022 Lynne Ingersoll and her cat, Jesse, spent a quiet Thanksgiving Day together in her small bungalow in Blue Island, Ill. A retired librarian, Ms. Ingersoll never married or had children. At 77, she has outlived her parents, three partners, her two closest friends, five dogs

Source: The Atlantic, November 15, 2022 by Elizabeth Keating Many people don’t know very much about their older relatives. But if we don’t ask, we risk never knowing our own history. You might think you already know your family’s stories pretty well—between childhood memories and reunions and holiday gatherings. You may have spent hours with

As families gather together over the holiday season, observe if your parent or loved one needs help cleaning up. Don’t tell them what to do, but ask how you can help them. No one likes to be told what to do. They might have a lack of energy or sense of purpose to accomplish some

The past several postings are all true incidents of calls we have received. But what makes our business successful and interesting is helping people work through the puzzle of figuring out what needs to be done first, second and so on. We do have a lot of resources to assist prospects and clients for their

Mid November, I had a call from an assistant who was trying to help her boss find solutions. The bosses’ wife, who was an artist, passed away. The husband (“Boss”) sold her studio house and a property next door. He needed help on how to sell or donate many or all of her art supplies

Other Important Documents Fine or Estate Jewelry (with any appraisals) – keep written wishes on who receives certain pieces Collections (stamps, coins, art, wine, pottery, etc.)- document the location and tag who will be the recipient(s), or will all or some go to a charity Marriage license, birth and/or death certificate, passport, copy of drivers

Insurance – (LIST ALL POLICY ACCOUNT NUMBERS, COMPANY, FACE VALUE, AGENT, PHONE, E-MAIL AND BENEFICIARIES) Whole life insurance Term life insurance Long term care insurance Health insurance / Medicare/ Supplemental insurance, pharmaceutical insurance Auto/boat/motorcycle insurance Homeowners insurance Pet insurance Fine Art insurance Second home- location and all information above Liability insurance/umbrella policy Disability insurance Personal

Well, we all made it through Thanksgiving with our families. If the adult children went to visit their “mature aged” parents, they probably noticed how they were living in their environment. Had they been cooking? Were clothes piled up because they couldn’t go up and down the stairs? Were there piles of clothes on the

Learning and working from home means putting a schedule together and having an organized space. Some families share a dining room or kitchen table as a multi workspace and then dining at the table. If you don’t have a spare bedroom or basement or sun room to create a focused area here are some ideas:

1. Your entrance area – Do you come into your home through the garage? This is where your keys, shoes, coats and handbags are dropped? If you don’t have cubbies or a space to put items and not much room, then create space by using the back of the door. An over the door hanger

1. Start early. It’s never too late to begin the process. Downsizing/decluttering takes time and energy. Focus on some of the more challenging areas that are time consuming such as going through files. Get two large trash bags and Label one with shred and the other with trash. Put in the shred bag, documents including

I get calls all the time from adult children and prospective residents to say they are contemplating a possible move and downsize, but don’t know where to move to and they don’t know what needs to be done. The resident sits on those thoughts, sometimes for months or a year. Then I get the phone

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10 Tips for Planning Your Funeral

Having That Talk with Mom and/or Dad

Baby Boomers and Beyond….

Who Will Care for ‘Kinless’ Seniors? Part 1

The Questions We Don’t Ask Our Families but Should

The Value of Support: When a Loved One Needs to Downsize and Move

True Stories

Your “Life Document” Checklist- Part 4

Your “Life Document” Checklist- Part 3

Your “Life Document” Checklist- Part 2

Your “Life Document” Checklist- Part 1

Setting Up a Home Office and School Work Space

5 Spaces to Organize First

10 Tips to Downsize and Declutter

When is the right time to downsize and move?