Staying Afloat In The Worst Of Times

After a death has occurred, it’s often difficult to navigate through the labyrinth of red tape generated by the government, financial institutions and assorted bureaucrats. In order to make the situation easier on yourself and family members, it’s helpful to assess the tasks you have to complete by breaking them down into steps, and tackling them one by one.

Focus On Short-Term Needs

If the funeral wasn’t pre-planned, ask for assistance from a relative or friend, suggests Robert Satchwill, a volunteer and former board member of the Memorial Society of Edmonton and District. Too often, people get talked into expensive frills because they feel it’s unseemly to bargain over a loved one’s coffin or funeral services. So let harder heads prevail.

• Don’t assume the bank will allow access to a deceased person’s account to cover funeral expenses. Set up a joint account specifically for the funeral well in advance.
• Veterans’ families may be entitled to government help for funerals or burial costs and for grave markers. Contact Veterans Affairs Canada at 1-800-465-7113 or their website.
• If money is urgently needed, put in a claim with insurers right away. They usually pay beneficiaries within 30 days of receiving a death certificate or equivalent.
• When writing the obituary, consider that they usually contain information such as place of birth, date of death, occupation, accomplishments and a list of survivors in the immediate family.
• Some airlines offer discounted fares for family members traveling to funerals. Proof of the loved one’s death is required, however.

Get The Proper Documentation

The will should name an executor to distribute the estate according to the deceased person’s wishes, and to collect and pay debts.

Key documents include birth, marriage and death certificates. The death certificate allows life-insurance benefits to be claimed and enables the executor to start the process of settling the estate. The process of applying for a death certificate varies provincially. Service Canada’s section on personal loss has links to provincial service centres that provide death certificates.

As a rule of thumb, you can register a death (with the help of a funeral home) and receive a “proof of death” certificate or a funeral director’s death certificate, either of which should be adequate for most transactions. In some cases, you may need a certified copy of the death certificate. This document is provided by the province.

Helpful Hints:
• If a thorough search hasn’t managed to turn up a will, you must apply to the courts to distribute the estate.
• Is the executor unable or unwilling to do the job? “If you haven’t appointed a backup executor, the person who steps forward must be approved by the courts,” says Sandra Foster, a registered financial planner and author of You Can’t Take It With You: Common-Sense Estate Planning for Canadians.
• You’ll need to have proof of death for almost every transaction, so get many copies of the documents—perhaps a dozen or more if the estate is complex.
• Make a list of key information that you will likely be asked for again and again, including social insurance number (SIN), bank account numbers, and assets and liabilities.