Our Services
After Loss
After losing a loved one, you want to focus on what matters most, not on the confusion what tasks are urgent, important, or perhaps even irrelevant to your situation.
We’ll create a fully customized plan so you can easily:
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We will help you identify and locate the relevant documents and information, such as: your loved one’s Will and trust documents, their driver’s license, deeds and policy documents, account numbers and statements, utility providers, and more.
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You’ll understand the sequence and timeline of how and when to notify organizations like social security, life insurance, and credit reporting agencies, providing necessary documentation, and reducing risk of identify theft in your loved one’s name.
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You’ll know how to cancel services, subscriptions, and policies that are no longer needed. And how to transfer services to a new account holder, and get refunds if relevant.
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In closing out your loved one’s estate, you may need to sell their house or car, or figure out what to do with their treasured collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia.
We will help you identify what resources are needed (i.e., a realtor, an estate sale company, antique appraisers, etc.) and provide referrals where applicable.
Funeral & Memorial
Most of us have very little experience with planning funerals and memorials - and may fear doing it “wrong” or getting taken advantage of.
But funerals and memorials can be a sacred and meaningful part of our life experience, and a healing part of the grieving process.
Let us help:
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Death and funerals in the U.S. are handled very differently now than how humans have cared for their dead for thousands of years. The biggest thing is how little we know about our choices!
We can talk through options that you may have never heard of, and may not be advertised, so you can choose what’s right for your loved one, yourself, and your family.
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Most communities have many funeral homes, and each has different pricing and service offerings.
We will provide you with only the details relevant to your preferences, so you can make an informed decision about funeral providers.
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Whether you’d prefer to have someone take the details on entirely, or have a compassionate advocate by your side, we can connect with the funeral home and make arrangements on your behalf.
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Likewise, we’re happy to attend appointments with you to ensure your preferences are heard and you have the information you need.
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Working with you, other family members, friends, or colleagues, we will write a beautiful and fitting obituary or eulogy to memorialize your loved one’s unique personality and life experience.
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Many cultures have traditions, ceremonies, and rituals surrounding death, but for some in the U.S. these have been lost.
Ceremony and ritual can be deeply meaningful and healing. We can work together to identify appropriate and personal rituals that help you and your family grieve.
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For those looking for a non-religious celebration of life, we can lead family and friends in honoring a loved one who has passed.
Estate Organization
If something were to happen to you, do your loved ones know where to find your most important documents and information?
Whether you’re “nearly there” or starting from square one, our estate organization service is fully customized to help you get your affairs in order.
Let us help:
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We’ll conduct an assessment to identify what documents and organization you already have in place, and if your trusted contact knows how to access it when needed.
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Beyond your essential Estate Planning Documents, we will assemble all the information critical for sharing with your loved ones, such as:
How to unlock your phone
Which accounts are solely in your name, and which are held jointly.
Your funeral preferences, aligned with your values.
The location and origin of family heirlooms.
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Once we have identified and located all your critical information, we will organize and securely store all physical and digital documents (including passwords) and ensure your trusted contact can locate them when needed.
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Every year, we’ll check in to ensure the information on file is up to date and reflects any changes in circumstances or your preferences.
What are the next steps?
YOU SCHEDULE A CALL.
The first step is a Discovery Call. The goal is to determine if our services meet your needs and circumstances, and that it feels like a comfortable working relationship.
We’ll ask some questions and explain about our process, and you’ll have a chance you get your questions answered too.
DIGGING INTO THE DETAILS.
Once we know we’re a good fit, we’ll meet with you and your family for our formal intake session (can be in-person or virtual).
We’ll ask questions to get a clear picture of you and your family circumstances, and what tasks we can take on to be most helpful.
OFF AND RUNNING.
After our intake session, we put together your personal plan capturing everything that needs to be done. We’ll connect again to review it with you and your family.
From there, After Loss Guides will complete the plan, keeping you updated all along the way.
Documents & Information
We Use in Our Work
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For our After Loss services, the Death Certificate is the document we’ll use most.
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For After Loss services, your loved one’s Last Will and Testament, and any Trust documents, will guide the settlement of their estate.
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For After Loss services, we’ll refer to any insurance policies your loved one had, and start the claims process if necessary.
For Estate Organization, we’ll make sure your policy documents and beneficiaries are up-to-date, and stored with your other most critical information.
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Bank account and credit card statements help us verify subscriptions and services your loved one had, and determine what needs to be canceled, or transferred to a different account holder or payment method.
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We will carefully track your loved one’s mail to identify important information about utilities, services, subscriptions, or final medical bills.
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Email and
About Our Confidentiality and Data Control Processes
We understand our work requires access to sensitive documents and Personal Identifiable Information (PII). We treat this information with the utmost confidentiality and care. Any sensitive information we need during the course of our work, such as death certificates, account numbers, and other details, are kept in a secure location and destroyed/deleted within 30 days of the end of our work together. We tightly control permissions when working online and use two-factor authentication to make sure no one has access to files who shouldn’t.