Carole A. Wakefield
ORGANIZING important and vital information is essential. In the event you or you and your spouse are simultaneously incapacitated, where are your medical directives and financial information located? Who is your doctor(s)? Who knows your medical history? Who will know what to advise the doctor(s) regarding your wishes? Who will pay your recurring bills, e.g. health, life, disability insurance, utilities, credit cards, etc.? How will they access your funds? Who will know your passwords?
In the event of your demise or the simultaneous demise of you and your spouse, does anyone know where your estate instructions and documents are? Where your Will is? Who your attorney is? How you want your personal property distributed? Where the key to the safe deposit box is?
Along with data sheets, this book guides you through the process of compiling the information required to effectively care for you and honor your requests.
I was born and raised in the Deep South; and characteristics similar to those exhibited by Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind” made their appearance early in my life. After living 40-plus years in Atlanta, Georgia, my family and I moved to Houston, Texas. Being a stay-at-home mom gave rise to many opportunities for organization. Consequently, while managing my husband’s office, raising a teenage daughter, getting our son through college and being my mother’s caregiver, I developed finely-honed organizational skills.
At this time, my husband was traveling internationally and I was responsible for our business as well as our personal lives. As I juggled these tasks, I began listing our personal information, i.e., banking, savings, insurance, investments, properties, etc. on my computer. Recently, after mentioning the “Valuable Papers” to friends, they suggested that I publish a book. Making the “Valuable Papers” into a generic, all-purpose information book required, again, organizational skills. My goal is to provide the tools for people to easily compile their important information and have it available to others in the event of their incapacitation or death, as well as themselves.
It is my hope that this book will be helpful to my generation as well as younger generations, thereby avoiding family disagreements. With this information at hand, you may experience peace of mind knowing what you have, where it is located and that you have done all you can to maintain family relationships.
