ABA/AARP Checklist for Family Survivors

A practical resource for dealing with family matters upon death, this first-of-its-kind publication from the American Bar Association and AARP – the nation’s leading associations in the law and the advancement of issues that matter most to people 50+ and their families – helps answer the myriad of questions surrounding what needs to be done following a loved one’s passing. This must-have book guides you through the steps to wrap up the personal and financial affairs of the loved one who died. Although the ABA/AARP Checklist for Family Survivors: A Guide to Practical and Legal Matters When Someone You Love Dies does not provide legal advice, it does include legal reasons, implications and complications that cover a variety of questions loved ones face upon death. In each chapter, you’ll find convenient checklists to help guide you through the difficult time. Chapter topics include:

Applying for survivors’ benefits
Checking on insurance benefits
Sorting through the stuff
Getting ready for probate
Taking care of yourself
And more!

The ABA/AARP Checklist for Family Survivors is not intended as a sit-down-and-read book. It is a workbook designed to help you understand what you need to do following a loved one’s death guided by simple yet thorough forms. Whether you fill in the forms in the book or use the CD-ROM included in the back cover, you can take comfort in knowing that the matters upon a loved one’s death can be handled with ease. While there are a number of books directed to the widow on matters of grief and financial planning, this is the first – from AARP and the American Bar Association’s Senior Lawyers Division – comprehensive guide that answers questions for family survivors in one straightforward book.

Author Biography

Sally Hurme is an elder law attorney and author. While with AARP for 23 years she worked on a wide variety of issues including advance care planning, surrogate decision making, consumer fraud, elder abuse, and financial security. Ms. Hurme was an advisor to the Uniform Law Commission in the drafting of the uniform guardianship jurisdiction act and Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship and other Protective Arrangements Act. She also was a member of the U.S. State Department delegation that drafted the Hague Convention on the International Protection of Adults. She has authored 20 law review articles and book chapters on various elder law issues and taught elder law at George Washington University Law School. She is author of the ABA/AARP Checklist series: Checklist for My Family, Checklist for Family Survivors, Checklist for Family Caregivers, Get the Most Out of Retirement, and Wise Moves. She received her law degree from the Washington College of Law at American University, Washington, D.C., and her bachelor’s degree from Newcomb College, Tulane University in New Orleans. Sally currently lives in Bridgewater, VA.