My parents are both getting up in years, and as a result, there are medical issues that happen. Life can change over night, and fortunately nothing has happened yet that warrant any "drastic action" on my part. But, as parents get older, it is important that someone in the family, be it a child or sibling or even a close trusted friend have all the information needed to make a transition as smooth as possible.
Many people will leave it to the attorney to handle the estate, but inevitably the issue of user name and/or password will pop up somewhere. Bank accounts, insurance, even utilities. You, as the relative or friend, need to sit down with your parent / senior friend and get a list of all accounts that have user names and passwords. Names of lawyers, auto mechanics, Doctors, insurance agents.... anything you can think of that may pop up. If they change the password on an account, it should be updated on the list. Ideally, if the parent or friend is not comfortable giving this information to you, they need to have it where you can get to it in case of death, coma, or any other reason that they can no longer take care of their affairs. This makes it easier to wrap up loose ends.
I know this sounds like common sense, but there are many many families out there that do not plan for the future. We don't like to talk about death, but it is waiting for all of us. Make it easier on your loved ones to cope in what will already be a mega stressful time. If you have older parents or siblings, make sure you have the information you need to get through the situation. Have a family meeting, talk about it and I promise you will all rest better for it.
Have a great day!
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