08/27/2025
🗣 IMPORTANT information to get your affairs in order‼️
💰POD or TOD = Make sure all bank accounts have direct beneficiaries (Payable on Death) or (Transfer on Death) for all brokerage accounts.
The main difference between Transfer on Death (TOD) and Payable on Death (POD) designations is the type of asset they cover: TODs apply to investment and brokerage accounts, stocks, and bonds, while PODs apply to bank accounts like checking, savings, and certificates of deposit (CDs). Both TOD and POD accounts allow assets to pass directly to a named beneficiary upon the owner's death, bypassing the probate process. The beneficiary need only go to the bank with your death certificate and an ID of their own.
🏡 Enhanced Life Estate Deed aka Lady Bird Deed if you own a home. Completing this document and recording it with your county saves your heirs THOUSANDS. This document allows you to transfer ownership of your home and/or property to a designated beneficiary or beneficiaries. Doing this will AVOID the home having to go through probate.
👨👩👧👦Advance Directive which includes a Power of Attorney for Healthcare and Living Will: This document allows one to designate someone to make healthcare decisions for them in the event you cannot speak for yourself or become incapacitated, also to put in writing exactly what you want done when it comes to final end of life decisions.
👩🏽⚖️Durable Power of Attorney: Allows one to designate a person to make financial decisions if you are no longer competent to do so.
If a POD or TOD is not done, you have to open an estate account at the bank. All money that doesn’t have direct beneficiaries goes into this account. You have to have an attorney to open the estate account. The attorney also has to publicize your passing in the newspaper or post publication at the county courthouse, to allow anyone to make a claim on your property. - It’s a complete PAIN both in time and financially for your loved ones!
📚 💳Make a list of all banks and account numbers, all investment institutions with account numbers, lists of credit cards, utility accounts, etc. Leave clear instructions as to how and when these things are paid.
Make sure heirs know where life insurance policies are located. 📂
📝Make 100% sure SOMEONE knows your Apple ID, bank ID account logins and passwords!
🚗 Make sure you have titles for all vehicles, campers, etc! You can also add a person now to your title if there are no liens as "or" to AVOID PROBATE.
MOST IMPORTANTLY!!!! - Talk with those closest to you and make all your wishes KNOWN. (This Doesn’t Replace the Documents but) Talk to those whom you’ve designated, as well as those close to you whom you did not designate. - Do this to explain why your decisions were made and to avoid any lingering questions or hurt feelings.
⚡️Hope this helps! ⚡️Hope this lights a spark to encourage all your friends and family to take care of these things to make it easier for those we all leave behind!
My hope is that the above list at least helps you start an important conversation with your loved ones...
Non-Lawyer Disclaimer: I am a non-lawyer self-help service that provides legal document preparation assistance at your specific direction. I am not an attorney and cannot provide legal advice. The contents of this page nor any conversation we have may be construed as legal advice. If you have legal questions, you are encouraged to consult with or retain an attorney.
Feel free to contact me directly to prepare any of the above documents.
