Year End – Paperwork

It’s the paperwork that makes the world go round.

I know the song says it’s love, nah it’s paperwork. If you don’t have it in order you are in trouble.

The first thing you need to have is a will. I know that most of us do not want to think about our own mortality and writing a will brings it close to home. Still, you need one. I have a friend who has 3 daughters and a wife. He has no will and seems to feel that without a will he has acquired immunity to death. Would that it were so easy. Really all he is doing is leaving his family with a mess. They are going to have to agree to the disposition of his assets and have the government involved in it.

Now who in their right mind wants the government messing around in their personal affairs?

Along with a will you need a power of attorney – it allows someone to make decisions for you if you are not able to do it. In BC you can choose an enduring power of attorney. https://www.google.ca/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=enduring+power+of+attorney+BC&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&gws_rd=cr&ei=ZS-hUsJgxpOJArnqgcgL# So both of those documents are a necessity. Do you have them? If not, run don’t walk to the nearest lawyer or notary and get it done.

You may also chose to have a health representation agreement which sets out who can make health care decision for you in the event you can’t.  www.bclaws.ca/EPLibraries/bclaws_new/document/ID/…/00_96405_01‎

If you are doing this one, you will need to discuss your wishes in advance, it prevents arguments and uncertainty. For example my mother in law had appointed me as her health care representative. She had discussed with her Doctor and me what she wanted at the end of her life.  This included no feeding tubes, no invasive procedures and no efforts to resuscitate her. Your wishes may be different and your family and physician need to know what they are.

She died last year and it was made easier because I knew what she wanted. We were all on board with her wishes and she died peacefully at home.

There is one other thing you may want to consider – writing a letter or letters to special people in your life. Letters that will be delivered after your death. You can say what you want now and at some later date change it.

Look at it as your last chance to get the final word in.

I am going to work on those over the holidays, year end is a great time for introspection and planning.

Taxes are one big certainty in life. I am constantly amazed at the number of people I know, who don’t file, file late or just ignore it until the government catches up with them. Avoid the pain and the penalties. Get a big brown envelope and stick into it everything you think may pertain to your taxes. If, like me you are mathematically challenged, go get an accountant to do your claim. Makes life easier and I am all about easy.

Last and not least is your own personal history. If you die tomorrow will your family know what all that paperwork is about? You may have reams of photos where you know who everyone is, will anyone else? What about your diaries and journals? What happens to them? Are you the keeper of the family history? If so, is there someone you can interest and educate for the future when you are no the one keeping the history? In my family, one nephew wants my scrapbooks and one wants all the memorabilia.

This year end is your chance tp make things easier for everyone including you.  If all this seems overwhelming, give me a cal I can help you.