BEFORE · PLANNING AHEAD
Get it in order while there is time.
None of this is urgent today. That is exactly why it is worth doing now.
HOW TO USE THIS PAGE
One step, not the whole week.
Work down the first list. The second can wait until someone is with you.
START HERE
The four that matter most
Say out loud what you want
One short conversation beats a perfect document nobody knew about.
Read the guide →Name who decides if you cannot
A healthcare directive and a power of attorney, signed to your state's rules.
Read the guide →Write or update the will
It only covers what you own in your own name — the rest passes by beneficiary.
Read the guide →Tell one person where the papers are
The original will should sit somewhere your executor can reach in days, not months.
Read the guide →WHEN YOU ARE READY
The decisions that cost money
Decide burial or cremation
Deciding now spares your family a five-figure choice on the worst day of their year.
Read the guide →Learn what it actually costs
Every funeral home must give you an itemised price list on request.
Read the guide →Choose how it gets paid for
Prepaid plans and burial insurance protect very different things.
Read the guide →Check what you have already earned
Veterans, and often their spouses, are owed benefits most families never claim.
Read the guide →