Losing a spouse can be one of the most traumatic events in one’s life. The ensuing checklist is meant as a guide that hopefully helps to ease some of the unrelenting heartache that can accompany the loss of a spouse by providing an organized process for handling the next steps during this time of sorrow, grief, and transition.

First things, first:

find a helping hand, a good friend or family member can help ease the burden of your loss, as well as, help to keep you focused on the necessary/required tasks at hand
gather all important documents and keep them together (e.g., purchase a large accordion file to retain the suggested documents below)
Some important documents might include:
- any will or trust documents
- life insurance policies
- birth/marriage/death certificates
- funeral arrangements and/or instructions
- social security cards
- recent tax returns
- retirement/investment/bank account statements
- mortgage and loan documents
- titles and deeds
- safety deposit box information (and key)

Although the above list of necessary documents is not exhaustive, it will provide a good start and you can add to it as you see fit. The next post in the series called “A financial to-do list for the surviving spouse” will cover handling funeral arrangements, employers, and necessary bills. If you, or someone you may know, is in a time of transition after losing a spouse and you (or they) desire guidance during this period, please feel free to contact Intelligent Investing at www.mynmfp.com/new-clients for a no-obligation consultation.