Death-related Tips

• Make a Will and review it every 5 years for relevancy
• Give copies of the Will/POAs, to the Executor and POA’s
• Buy a Will kit at a business supply store if affordability of a lawyer’s services are a concern
• Write your obituary, ideally through a conversation with a loved one, as this can be heartwarming and facilitate an enjoyable life review
• Consider that a local newspaper can cost as much as $500 for one day of an obituary
• An obituary is free on the funeral parlor website, but you must exercise caution knowing that it will get circulated to other websites without your permission
• Funerals- there’s no hurry as covid days demonstrated; the timing may depend upon relatives, season, etc.
• Churches are a lot cheaper than funeral parlors, so interview funeral parlors in advance to be prepared
• Some funeral parlors have a military discount 
• Discuss with loved ones what you would like at your funeral or celebration of life
• Funeral receptions can be anywhere, and restaurants are often a pleasing option
• Funerals at funeral parlors typically accept up to $2000 on a credit card, and the remainder must be paid by e-transfer or cash, due within 30 days of the funeral; they can be prepaid and pre-arranged
• Online companies that arrange services are much cheaper, and can also be prepaid

• Like funeral parlours, online organizations will pick up the body, prepare death certificates, return ashes, and offer funeral services too
• While they offer cemetery services, you can have the service and interment at a cemetery of your choice
• Interment of ashes is not legally necessary in Ontario and there is no hurry to attend to this
• If at a cemetery, interment can be prepaid but the stone engraving cannot be prepaid
  • Cemetery interment is cheaper on weekdays than  on weekends, and staff must be present at the internment
  • A container for ashes can be anything from a dollar store item to $1000 or more, as you wish
  • In Ontario, you can spread ashes where you choose, so consider whether a cemetery plot is valuable to you
  • If no plot is used for the placement of ashes, and you choose water as many do, be sure it is deep water, so the ashes aren’t floating at the surface over the coming year
  • When a loved one dies at home, there is no hurry to pick up the body, although most suggest within 48 hours
  • Create a “Death Box” to store the documents that specify your arrangements or preferences. How do I create a Death Box? Click here for your free download.

Tips on post-death chores
 

• Contact the life insurance company
• Address OAS and CPP benefits as soon as possible, and ideally go to Service Canada in person
• Bring a copy of the Will, death certificate, and marriage certificate if applicable
• The CPP death benefit is $2500, though less if there has been an overpayment if not notified of death in a timely way
• Contact a lawyer to change the name on the house deed if applicable
• Notify car and house insurance providers
• Change car ownership at Service Canada - need Will and death certificate
• Return the health card and driver’s licence to Service Ontario; need copy of death certificate to complete this
• No rush to address banking matters, but will need original Will and death certificate to manage financial assets
• Prior to death ensure that joint accounts truly allow ongoing access
• Remember that banking payees may disappear if shared online banking, so collect pertinent information before account closures
• With credit cards, pay attention to who is the primary account holder, as death may eliminate a survivor’s access; best to have one or two other credit cards in the survivor’s name
• Pay off deceased credit card a month after last use, then cancel the credit card
• Ensure cheques to the deceased and to their Estate can be deposited after death

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