What to do when a loved one dies: The 5 most important things

It can take an average of 500 hours over as much as two years to wrap up the average estate. Simple mistakes can cost thousands of dollars in legal fees, taxes, and lost benefits.

Below you’ll find five key steps to ensure the process runs more smoothly and that major mistakes are avoided:

1. Get death certificate copies: we recommend that you request 15-20 copies, as you will need this to do everything from dealing with vehicles to bank accounts to social media

2. Collect and secure the most important documents: Will, marriage/birth certificates, financial accounts, advance directives, pre-paid funeral contracts, etc.

3. Protect against identity theft: 1 in 3 people have their identity stolen after they pass. Run a credit freeze and get them off the voter rolls, or use our automated tool here.

4. Notify social security to collect a $255 benefit: Ask your funeral home for help, or click here.

5. Publish an obituary: For help on writing one, click here.

And while it may be easy to forget, taking the time you need to grieve, and mourn, a passing is crucial to your emotional and spiritual well-being.

If you would like more assistance, Peacefully offers estate settlement experts who are available to help you through this. Schedule a time to speak with one of our US-based experts here, or work through the full checklist yourself here.