Simple Strategies for Keeping Your Affairs in Order

There's a lot more to keeping your affairs in order than just having a will drawn up. Likewise, keeping your affairs in order isn't something you should put off until you're in your 70's. Whether you have been married for one year or 60...whether or not you have children...or even if you're a lifelong bachelor (or bachelorette) keeping your affairs in order is the best gift you can give to yourself and those you care about.

Shelter Online points out that studies reveal that over 90% of survivors are unprepared to handle the many immediate and future responsibilities that arise when a death occurs. Why? Simply because no one likes to think or talk about, much less deal with, death.

I'd like to take that one step further and say that keeping your affairs in order has less to do with dying and more to do with just staying organized.

According to Profutures.com, the first step in getting your affairs in order is to gather up all your important personal, financial and legal information so you can organize it in a way that is easily accessible to your caregivers, survivors or even yourself. Then you want to create one or more "master lists" of how you want specific areas of your life handled. Here are some key areas to help you get started.

Personal Information: This is a pretty expansive area. But "personal information" should range from important names and phone numbers of family, friends and professional acquaintances to personal documents (birth certificates, social security card, etc). Safety.com points out that your personal information should also contain such things as medical info, organ donation instructions and even funeral arrangements.

Legal documents: This is where your will (the original not a copy) is kept, in addition to other estate planning documents like trusts. (A worthwhile resource may be build-a-will.com which is a do-it-yourself will program. There are others as well if you check on-line). Likewise, documents that spell out your financial power-of-attorney are to be kept with legal documents. Also, though it may be an uncomfortable subject to talk about, your wishes regarding end-of-life medical treatment and medical power-of-attorney should be kept in this batch as well. Check out www.caringinfo.org for state-specific regulations regarding this area.

Financial records: Onlineorganizer.com recommends you make a list of all your income sources such as pensions, IRA's, social security, investments and the like., and also draw up a list of debts - mortgages, credit cards, car payments and medical bills. Your financial records should also contain your bank and brokerage accounts, insurance policies, credit cards, copies of tax returns and property.

Experts recommend that it's best to keep all your organized information and files together in one easy-to-reach location: ideally in a safe or fireproof filing cabinet in your home.

Also it's` a good idea to review and update your information every year and make sure your significant other knows where to find all your records and whatnot as well. There are a lot of great resources out there to help get you on your way. Some cost money and some do not. One that is free and might be worth checking out is the "Are Your Affairs in Order" planning guide and resource book (www.bmpc.org)We all need to prepare for the uncertainties of the future. Making decisions and arrangements before they are needed simplifies caring for an older person or planning for your own old age. Complete personal and financial records will have most of the details you need to plan for any changes that might come up in the years ahead-- such as retirement, a move, or a death in the family.