A Friendly Reminder:

Please get your affairs in order.

My mom's younger brother died quite suddenly on July 30 at the age of 54. In addition to the not inconsiderable emotional stuff, the logistics and legal stuff are turning out to be quite challenging. There was a photocopy of a will, but we've yet to find an original. No one had any idea what bank he used until a statement arrived in the mail. We're still trying to get a handle on what he owes and where. Throw in a hefty helping of grief and the drama of my mom's somewhat argumentative family, and it's a mess.

I don't care if you only have $36 in your checking account and $5,000 in debt, make sure someone has the information. I don't have a will drawn up yet or the all-important living will and health care proxy, but it took less than half an hour to make a table of where all my assets are, the account numbers, and other pertinent information to give to my dad. It's simple and could make a challenging time a tiny bit easier.