Thank you for being so prompt with my problem of not receiving ATNTK the first time you sent it via e-mail and I am thankful and surprised you were available for help on Saturday.

Two years ago I purchased ATNTK on a hard copy and now I have it on my computer that I find is much better as changes have had to be made since filling out the original hard copy forms. Keeping it up to date will be easy on my computer then print it for safe keeping in a fire proof safe.

Thank you for making the ATNTK program.

Charlie Bull

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My reply:

Charlie, thank you so much for taking the time to write. Would you mind if I posted your comment on the website? I totally agree with you. The version for the computer makes things so much easier to update.

I don’t know if you’ve visited my site lately, but I’ve posted three videos about the book. One is on how to choose which one to buy; the second one recommends how to put your information together; the third one talks about the importance of reviewing the information regularly. I can’t say that my presentation skills are that great but the information is!

Glad All They’ll Need to Know is helpful to you. It’s something everyone really needs! Hope you’ll help spread the word.

Joyce

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His reply:

Joyce, yes you may post my comment on your web site.

One thing I forgot to mention is that my children appreciate my ATNTK as much and probably more than I do. It is a great tool.
Thanks for sending a list of your web sites.

Charlie Bull

Look for it on the site by the end of the week!

Joyce

My Response:

Pat, 

Thank you for submitting your comment about safe deposit boxes.   Grandpa Terry forwarded it to me for answering.   I used to work in a bank years ago (1970s)  and there was someone who read the newspaper every day to find out who died.  At that time there was a flag put on their account and in some cases the accounts were sealed.   You’re right to suggest finding out what the laws are in your state.  It may be that if there is another “owner” of the box (i.e., spouse), then they can still access it, but that’s certainly good to know ahead of time. 

If you read the instructions in my book, I ALWAYS suggest keeping the information at home in a fireproof safe.   One of the reasons is that you never know when death will occur and you want immediate access to this paperwork.  If death occurs on the weekend, you don’t want to wait until Monday morning to figure out what to do.    I gave up my safe deposit box a few years ago, but at the time  I kept my original documents at home in the fireproof safe with a copy in the safe deposit box.  I looked at it as my insurance against theft or fire.    Now I have scanned the documents and keep the copy on my computer.

On the topic of fireproof boxes, if you’ve ever watched one of those shows on how to protect your home against burglary, they tell you to have a box that can be bolted to the floor unless you have something that’s creatively hidden.   My fireproof box isn’t big enough to bolt down, but when my husband bought a gun safe, we did bolt it down, and now I have my fireproof box inside that safe.   That’s about as secure as I can make it!

Here’s a link that you might find useful: 

http://www.bankersonline.com/operations/gurus_op012003c.html

Again, thanks for your comment.  If it’s okay with you, I’d like to post it on my website so others can benefit from the information.

Joyce

Listen here: http://tinyurl.com/29ypsxf

When I get where I’m going
on the far side of the sky.
The first thing that I’m gonna do
Is spread my wings and fly.

I’m gonna land beside a lion,
and run my fingers through his mane.
Or I might find out what it’s like
To ride a drop of rain

(Chorus:)
Yeah when I get where I’m going,
there’ll be only happy tears.
I will shed the sins and struggles,
I have carried all these years.
And I’ll leave my heart wide open,
I will love and have no fear.
Yeah when I get where I’m going,
Don’t cry for me down here.

I’m gonna walk with my grandaddy,
and he’ll match me step for step,
and I’ll tell him how I missed him,
every minute since he left.
Then I’ll hug his neck.

(Chorus)

So much pain and so much darkness,
in this world we stumble through.
All these questions, I can’t answer,
so much work to do.

But when I get where I’m going,
and I see my Maker’s face.
I’ll stand forever in the light,
of His amazing grace.
Yeah when I get where I’m going,
Yeah when I get where I’m going,
there’ll be only happy tears.
Hallelujah!
I will love and have no fear.
When I get where I’m going.
Yeah when I get where I’m going.

Artist:  Brad Paisley with Dolly Parton
Album:  Time Well Wasted

If you go to the hospital on your own, they generally have you complete the form before you have any type of surgery.  If you are taken there for treatment after an accident, however, chances are that you will be unable to even fill out the form.  That’s why it’s so important to take care of this NOW! 

If you go to http://www.projectgrace.org, you can find printable Advance Directive forms to print for free. Also, any Hospice site will direct you to a printable Health Care Surrogate and Living Will. Just use the search engine and go to any Hospice site.

Joyce Moseley Pierce
http://www.emersonpublications.com
Don’t leave your loved ones guessing

“When a loved one dies, grieving family members and friends often are confronted with dozens of decisions about the funeral – all of which must be made quickly and often under great emotional duress. What kind of funeral should it be? What funeral provider should you use? Should you bury or cremate the body, or donate it to science? What are you legally required to buy? What other arrangements should you plan? And, as callous as it may sound, how much is it all going to cost?  Read full article here

Each year, Americans grapple with these and many other questions as they spend billions of dollars arranging more than 2 million funerals for family members and friends. The increasing trend toward pre-need planning – when people make funeral arrangements in advance – suggests that many consumers want to compare prices and services so that ultimately, the funeral reflects a wise and well-informed purchasing decision, as well as a meaningful one. “    Read full article here

Many of these details can be planned ahead of time.  By making these important decisions now, you can minimize the emotional strain that will be placed on your survivors.  All They’ll Need to Know is an excellent resource for providing information that will be needed.

Don’t leave your loved ones guessing…guide them now.

Secure Vital Statistics (required for burial permit)

1. Name, address and phone number
2. How long in state
3. Name of business, address and phone
4. Occupation and title
5. Social Security number
6. War Veterans Serial Number
7. Date of birth
8. Place of birth
9. US Citizen
10. Father’s name
11. Father’s birthplace
12. Mother’s maiden name
13. Mother’s birthplace
14. Religions name (if any)

Pay some or all of the following:

1. Family burial estate
2. Memorials
3. Funeral director
4. Interment Service
5. Clergy
6. Florist
7. Clothing
8. Transportation
9. Telephone and telegraph
10. Food
11. Doctors
12. Nurses
13. Hospitals and ambulance
14. Medicine and drugs
15. Other current and urgent bills (mortgage or rent, taxes, installment payments)

Collect Documents (required to establish rights for insurance, pensions, social security, ownership, relationship, etc.)

1. Will
2. Legal proof of age or birth certificate
3. Social Security card or number
4. Marriage license
5. Citizenship papers
6. Insurance policies (life, health and accident, property)
7. Bank books and credit cards
8. Deeds to property
9. Bill of sale of car
10. Income tax returns, receipts or cancelled checks
11. Veterans discharge certificate
12. Disability claims
13. Memorial park certificate of ownership

Decide and Arrange Within a Few Hours

1. Burial estate location and space
2. Memorial type inscription
3. Casket type
4. Clothing for deceased
5. Vault or sectional crypt
6. Type of service (religious, military, fraternal)
7. Special selection from scriptures
8. Clergy to officiate
9. Name of funeral director
10. Place where service is to be held
11. Time for funeral service
12. Name of charitable organization to which donations are suggested in memory of deceased
13. Providing information for eulogy
14. Select names for pallbearers
15. Music
16. Clothing for you and children
17. Preparation at home, including food for family and guests
18. Extra chairs
19. Transportation for family and guests, including planning funeral car list
20. Checking and signing necessary papers for burial permit
21. Providing vital statistics about deceased to newspapers.
22. Providing addresses and telephone numbers for all interested people
23. Answering innumerable sympathetic phone calls, messages, wires and letters
24. Meeting and talking with funeral director, cemetery representative clergy, about all details.
25. Greeting all friends and relatives who call
26. Arranging for meeting relatives who call
27. Arranging for meeting relatives who arrive from out of state at airport or railroad/bus station
28. Providing lodging for out-of-town relatives
29. Arranging for special religious services
30. Check the Will regarding special wishes
31. Order death certificate (multiple copies)
32. Look after minor children

Notify as soon as possible

1. The doctor or doctors
2. The funeral director
3. The memorial park
4. All relatives
5. All friends (email?)
6. Employer of deceased
7. Employers of relatives not going to work
8. Casket bearers
9. Insurance agents (life, health and accident)
10. Religious, fraternal, civic, veterans organizations, unions
11. Newspapers regarding notices
12. Attorney, accountant, or executor of estate

Additional Advice

1. Business online – user names, passwords
2. Banking online – user names, passwords
3. Friends online – email, passwords
4. Distribution of personal property
5. Advise who they can trust to advise in their absence
6. Tell about loans receivable/bartering
7. Know where stock certificates are located
8. Locate “free” insurance policies from banks, credit cards, AAA
9. Complete an Advance Directive, Do Not Resuscitate
10. Who has access to Safe Deposit?  Where are keys?
11. PINs for bank and other accounts
12. Record information in something portable
13. Discuss directions with your family
14. Review it regularly.

By:  Ellen Goodstein – www.bankrate.com

1. Shopping around for funeral services can save you thousands of dollars.
   1. Funeral directors must provide a price list
   2. Shop around.
   3. Get price lists by phone or in person from at least 3 funeral homes before making a decision.
2. Funeral directors are not clergy.
   1. They’re in the business to make money
   2. Be sure they are licensed and have a good reputation
   3. Speak with the funeral director before visiting
3. Embalming is rarely required when the person will be buried within 24-48 hours.
   1. US & Canada are the only countries who embalm.
      1. Centers for Disease Control says embalming doesn’t serve any public health purpose
      2. Refrigeration is a legal alternative – just as good if not better
      3. Embalming not required for viewing – except in MN
      4. Know your rights!
4. Seeing your loved one prior to burial without the benefit of embalming will not leave you with unresolved grief issues.
   1. This is a myth!
   2. Embalming is extremely invasive – it is a temporary cosmetic and preservative process.
5. Sealed caskets cannot preserve a body
   1. The cost of “seals” is about $12.
   2. Sealed caskets cost hundreds of dollars more than unsealed caskets.
   3. Caskets cannot protect or preserve the body!
   4. Sealer vaults offer no advantage except to the income of the funeral director.
6. A funeral provider may not refuse or charge a fee to handle a casket you bought elsewhere.
   1. You can buy a casket from anyone.  Even the internet. www.journeycaskets.com
   2. Federal “funeral rule” says it is illegal to charge a handling fee if you bring your own casket.
7. You don’t need to spend more than $400 to $600 for a modest casket.
   1. A $1295 casket can be purchased wholesale for $325
   2. Low-priced caskets hidden or ordered in ugly colors
8. You do not have to buy the whole bundle of services
9. You can plan and carry out many things on your own to honor your loved one without paying for services from a funeral home.
   1. Save money by doing it yourself
   2. It’s more personal
10. Local funeral and memorial societies can help consumers find ethical establishments and often negotiate discounts for their members.
    1. Funeral Consumers Alliance – 115 chapters in 46 states
    2. Run by volunteers
    3. Have info on local funeral homes & price surveys
    4. In Houston, the FCA of Houston is at 5200 Fannin.
    5. Phone:  713-526-4267 or 888-282-4267

This excerpt provided by Emerson Publications.  www.emersonpublications.com

THANK YOU!  I can’t believe that it took an email from you on your website to make me remember that I had never changed the girls names and addresses for my secondary beneficiary info for my insurance and 401K.  I just did – woo hoo!  I guess we need that changed on our will too – right?  I had changed our address for my work info but didn’t realize until I went thru this process that I had not changed our address for our 401K.  THANK YOU!

If I hadn’t been prompted that the girls new names and addresses needed to be changed, I wouldn’t have known that this one didn’t get changed thru my employer site.

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Sarah K.
Pleasant Hill, MO