Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To

This book presents a great framework for organizing the info your heirs will need to assist you in managing your affairs if you are unable to, as well as the info needed to settle your estate.My elderly parents live half way across the country. We all recognize that the time is approaching when I may have to help them manage their affairs and eventually settle their estate. I knew I needed information from them, but I didn't know exactly what to ask. This book was a huge help.I bought a copy for myself, then sent them a copy before I went to see them. We worked through it chapter by chapter. Not only does the book deal with financial and legal matters, but it also has a place to record your wishes about things such as what you want in a memorial service, where you want an obituary published, and what arrangements you've made for cremation or burial. These are difficult topics to discuss, but because it was in the book, we did it. I liked the fact that this book acknowledges that people have many online accounts and passwords, and someone will need access to them eventually, so you'll need to record them. It brings up things I would not have thought of, such as keeping a record of automatic subscriptions or payments, at which branch you have a safe deposit box and where you store the key, military service and other biographical info, and the combination to your home safe.The book has forms in the back where you can record the copious amounts of info your heirs might need. You can also download the forms if you want to fill them out on the computer. The book recommends printing it all out and putting it into a binder so it will be easy for loved ones to access when the time comes.The book also addresses the need for wills and trusts, living wills, and powers of attorney.After working through this book, I feel much more confident that I have the info I need to help my parents when the time comes. The book brings up many items I would not have thought to ask about. Both my parents and I are greatly relieved that we're getting things in order.

This book is a terrific way to get organized and to keep your loved ones as unburdened as possible in handling your affairs, but also can be of great help in other situations as well. There may be an occasion besides your passing where this can come into play. You may be hospitalized from an accident and while your situation may not be grave, it can still be serious and your executor or other trusted person can access your records/binder and get access to important information. Another example could be for someone in the military who is deployed and a situation comes up where property or other matters need attention and this can be invaluable in those situations as well (as would be a limited power of attorney, in many cases). For your own day-to-day matters, you have consolidated information and made it easier on yourself to access critical information and documents. For the binder, I try to put as much as is practical in it, and I suggest the use of open end document protectors for those things you want to protect and/or not want to hole punch, and the use of full-length zippered form of these document protectors for things that are not conventionally sized (and could fall out). I couldn't fit filed tax documents in the binder, nor the extensive documents for a home purchase/refinance/etc. of course, but I did provide pointers in the binder to where those are kept, and then put a couple copies of things like the property note, and a basic bank loan document in the binder as a quick reference. While working in the sections about your final arrangements (Ch.11-17), you need to formalize all this, but you should have temporary notes in these chapters in the interim as even that can help somewhat, at least in regard to your wishes, if something were to happen before you completed this area of the binder (Will or Trust, health care declarations/powers, Durable POA for finances, etc., being the big things). Lastly, by going through this book and seeing what you need will also uncover clutter, and getting rid of what you don't need can be almost as helpful as getting a hold of the things that you do need.

This book helped me tackle a task that I had been putting off for way too long. My wife & I have wills, and estate planning documents and we knew where those were, but other than that, our stuff was scattered everywhere. I tend to do most of the financial "stuff" in our house (bank accounts, insurance policies, etc...), and it is amazing how many different things we have accumulated during our marriage. I was scared that, if something happened to me, my wife wouldn't know where my life insurance policy was stored, or where the deed for our house was located etc...I got this book, and went to Staples and got the binder etc... I will say that this author also sells a binder / sheet protector combo deal. That probably would have been less expensive that my route.Once I started working the book, it is very easy to follow. It is broken down into sections. The premise being that you take your three ring binder, and break it into the same sections. Each section covers one topic. You put all relevant documents into that section of your binder. Some of these, you'll need to probably create, and some are probably more important than others. One nice part about this book is how comprehensive it is. While I can't say I used every possible page, I did find myself using a lot more than I would have otherwise thought I would need.The book also has a number of forms that you can pull out, write on, and then put them in your binder if you choose. Another option it gives is to go to a website, and download the forms, type on them, print them out, and then put them in your binder. Again, some you will choose to use, others won't apply to your situation.All in all, this book served it's purpose very well. My family's "stuff" is much more organized. Now, when I get to go to see Jesus, I know that my wife can pull this one binder, and have all our family's relevant information at her fingertips. That gives me peace of mind.

A very helpful resource for anyone wishing to organize their personal and financial documents for their survivors. The manual has easy to use compartments and helps one think through all the issues of death and dying as well as the information and documents to leave for survivors.

well organised but too American to be if great use