Do you know about death benefits

This is the front porch of our forum. Pull up a chair, and talk about whatever's on your mind.
clemencia2us
Posts: 11445
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 9:21 am

Do you know about death benefits

Post by clemencia2us »

Ok - this can be a delicate subject

But I am so frustrated with what I read on veteran Facebook pages

Families that do not know what their veteran had planned for them

Please make sure you are prepared. Some of these ladies - and yes mostly ladies - cannot access their deceased spouses benefits. They might think that it is "bad taste" to even ask about it? Who knows.

So sad.
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: Do you know about death benefits

Post by HappyDaze »

clemencia2us wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 10:26 pm Ok - this can be a delicate subject

But I am so frustrated with what I read on veteran Facebook pages

Families that do not know what their veteran had planned for them

Please make sure you are prepared. Some of these ladies - and yes mostly ladies - cannot access their deceased spouses benefits. They might think that it is "bad taste" to even ask about it? Who knows.

So sad.
Clem, you make a good point and this is important. I am not a veteran but I did recently update my will, health care proxy and power of attorney. Circumstances change so sometimes documents/plans need to change - if only temporarily.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
User avatar
Jackielou
Posts: 13423
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Do you know about death benefits

Post by Jackielou »

We have been planning to make things easier for the DS's and talking about adding them as beneficiaries to all our accounts in the bank. I also want to give them both power of attorney in case the one of us surviving is incapacitated in some way shape or form.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
floridacatlover
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Do you know about death benefits

Post by floridacatlover »

I think for older couples, it was (and sometimes still is) the case that the husband handled all finances and the wife did not go over the paperwork. Thankfully my parents were not that way.

In an early job, I worked in the pension and profit sharing office of my company. We had at least one case in which the employee never updated his beneficiaries when he divorced and remarried and when he died, all company benefits went to the ex-wife. The law has since changed and in order for the spouse to give up his/her rights to a pension, 401k, etc., the spouse has to specifically sign ahead of time giving up those benefits.
floridacatlover
Posts: 8056
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Do you know about death benefits

Post by floridacatlover »

Jackielou wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 8:54 am We have been planning to make things easier for the DS's and talking about adding them as beneficiaries to all our accounts in the bank. I also want to give them both power of attorney in case the one of us surviving is incapacitated in some way shape or form.
I was either beneficiary or joint owner of the majority of mom’s assets so they did not have to go through probate and I had access immediately. It made it very easy. I was power of attorney but never had to use it.
User avatar
Jackielou
Posts: 13423
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Do you know about death benefits

Post by Jackielou »

floridacatlover wrote: Sun Nov 28, 2021 9:29 am I was either beneficiary or joint owner of the majority of mom’s assets so they did not have to go through probate and I had access immediately. It made it very easy. I was power of attorney but never had to use it.
That is the reasoning behind my and Hubby's thoughts. No probate would be awesome for them.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
Post Reply