Moving:
After our mother passed, our first order of business was to review the contents of her apartment and start the cleaning process. Over the years, our mother had downsized from our family home, to a townhouse and finally to a one-bedroom apartment at Vincent Hall, a retirement community in Northern Virginia. The three of us accomplished a lot over four days, but there was still work to be done. Over the following week, our sister cleaned out the remainder of item. Our mother’s clothes, supplies and smaller nix nax were donated to other residents and staff members for the taking. My nephew wanted her piano, so that and a few items will be kept. The remainder of the items were donated to Habitat for Humanity (https://www.habitat.org)
Both the items we planned to keep and those that we would donate were moved for us by JK Moving Services. Specifically, our move was coordinated by Greg Menna (www.jkmoving.com/greg-menna; greg.menna@jkmoving.com; 571-520-4980), who was incredible. The experience was seamless and very upfront, with no last-minute surprises. I have utilized movers in the past and this was the best experience I have ever had. As you know, we built The Electronic Guardian to help mitigate some of the stress around a loved one’s passing and JK Moving was certainly a stressless experience.
Credit:
As the executor, my first order of business is to ensure the credit rating agencies and our mother’s credit card companies are aware of her passing and that all credit is frozen and I receive copies of the credit reports.
Social Security – it is common that the funeral home notifies the Social Security Administration. I contacted the funeral home we utilized, and, at least in Virginia, when the death certificate is created, it automatically notifies the Administration.
Credit Agencies – In the United States there are three credit rating agencies. I will not go into my personal opinion about the unfettered power these agencies wield, but it is important to notify them of a passing and ask for a credit report. For each agency, I prepared a letter, with my mother’s name, social security number, date of birth and date of death. I included a copy of the death certificate, which I will be picking up this weekend, and a copy of parts of her will (the front page, the page naming me executor and the signatory page). I also included my contact information, with a request for the outstanding credit report. I want to see what is open and on the report. Here is the contact information for each:
Experian’s Consumer Assistance Center; P.O. Box 4500; Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion; P.O. Box 2000; Chester, PA 19016.
Equifax Information Services LLC; P.O. Box 105139; Atlanta, GA 30348-5139.
Credit Card – Our mother had two credit cards, one with Chase and one with USAA, with whom she also had insurance. I did reach out to both entities, the put a freeze on the card and are awaiting a letter with the death certificate and the pertinent pages of the Will. It is important to pay of the credit cards as quickly as possible to avoid additional interest charges and credit card fees.
Banking – As I stated before, my mother added my sister onto her Wells Fargo checking account as a joint owner. This was a complete blessing, as it provided us capital to take care of bills as they come due, much easier. Our mother also had a banking relationship with Navy Federal Credit Union.