When Your Spouse Dies

27 Aug 2022 · 1 min

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In this concise instructional video, Jerry Taylor outlines the essential actions to take immediately after a spouse’s death. He advises calling 911 for a medical death pronouncement if no professional is present, then contacting a funeral home to retrieve the body. He stresses notifying close family, the deceased’s employer, and then reaching out to life or burial insurance providers. The next steps involve scheduling meetings with the attorney, CPA, and financial advisor, as well as notifying the Social Security Administration and the Department of Motor Vehicles. Taylor explains how to remove the deceased’s name from joint accounts, and outlines the legal pathways depending on whether a will, trust, or no estate plan exists—intestate succession, probate, or trust administration. He also recommends obtaining at least ten copies of the death certificate. Throughout, he acknowledges the emotional difficulty of the situation and offers the guide as a supportive resource.

Chapters

One day your spouse or somebody else in your family is going to die. So save this video because I'm going to tell you the things you should do. If there's no medical professional present, call 911 to ensure that there is a proper pronouncement of death. After the pronouncement has been made, contact a funeral home to pick up the body. Notify your close family members, your spouse's employer. Once all that's been done, contact any life insurance provider or burial insurance provider. Then contact your attorney, CPA, your financial advisor, and schedule meetings with each of them. Contact the Social Security Agency, Department of Motor Vehicles. If you have accounts with the deceased person's name on there, begin the process of taking their name off of those accounts. If your spouse died without a will, you need to go to the courthouse and begin the process of intestate succession. If they had a will, then you need to see a lawyer about probating the will. If they had a trust, your estate planning lawyer can help you decide if any administration needs to be done. Get at least 10 copies of the death certificate. The death of a spouse is obviously very traumatic. I hope this video helps you through this difficult time.