Despite a modest income, my blue collar in-laws managed to accumulate a sizable estate through frugality and wise investment. In addition, I have managed my mother-in-law’s investments for the past 20 years so that she didn’t lose 1-2% per year or more to a financial advisor. Not only did this enable my mother-in-law to live her last days in the cadillac of homes for Alzheimer’s care, but it left her children with an inheritance.
My wife was surprised at how few resources she found to guide her in settling her widowed mother’s affairs after her passing. There was no help from our attorney, from hospice, from our financial institutions, and even a Google search provided only minimal suggestions. The best source was AARP and it was marginal.
Despite our excellent pre-death planning and my wife’s dogged i-dotting and t-crossing, settling my mother-in-law’s estate was a huge job and so my wife thought she would make it easier for readers. She will share with you her checklist, valuable websites, various tips, and discussions on how to cut through the red tape to sprint to the finish line. Because her mother died of dementia, she has spent the last few years managing her affairs which gave her ample time to get all the ducks in a row with her mother’s affairs.
The other four pages on this site were written by my wife, Penny, with only minor modifications by myself, and they document everything she has done to prepare for and perform the many tasks required with her mother’s passing. – Hugh Chou