• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Avoidance Tax Planning
      • Avoiding Probate
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trusts
      • Medicaid
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
      • Veterans Benefits
      • Wills
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » BLOG » The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. – AVVO Guides

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. – AVVO Guides

August 26, 2021 by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

5 Steps to take following the death of a loved one

  1. Make decisions about the handling of the body.
    If your loved one was an organ donor, or you have the authority to make the decisions, it is crucial to notify the hospital or authorities immediately. You also need to arrange for handling of the body. If you know what funeral home you want to handle the disposition of the body, notify them immediately. If the decedent made a burial plan or had a funeral trust, you may find it among the decedent’s estate planning documents. If a funeral trust was created, the person named as Trustee in that trust agreement is officially in charge of handling the arrangements.
  2. Locate and/or obtain important legal documents.
    Look for important estate planning documents, such as Last Will and Testament, trust agreements, and/or life insurance policies. Furthermore, you should obtain several certified death certificates. You will need to show proof of the decedent’s death to the funeral home, financial institutions, and a variety of other third parties during the administration of the decedent’s trust or estate. In Texas you can obtain a certified death certificate through the funeral home shortly after the death, or through the Texas Department of State Health Services.
  3. Make funeral arrangements.
    Even if the decedent did plan his/her funeral, it is still important to meet with the funeral home to make sure the arrangements are clear, and everything is moving along as intended. You also need to notify extended family, friends, and the public. You may also wish to write an obituary and arrange for it to be published, as well as order a headstone for the decedent’s burial plot.
  4. Close accounts and secure assets.
    Make sure major assets, such as the decedent’s home and vehicle are secured. Notify banks, credit card companies, investment funds, and other accounts of the decedent’s death and ask to close the accounts. You should monitor monthly benefits by contacting the Social Security Administration, the Veteran’s Administration, and any other government agency form which the decedent received benefits to let them know the benefits should cease. If you have access, or the decedent left a list of passwords, start shutting down the decedent’s online accounts. If you do not have the necessary information/access, you may need to wait until the probate process gets underway.
  5. Consult with a probate attorney to begin the probate of an estate.
    The probate process must be initiated in order to ensure that debts of the estate are paid and the estate assets are passed down to the intended beneficiaries. Make a list of assets and debts. Not only will this help with the probate process, but there may be bills that you must continue paying, such as a mortgage payment, during the administration.
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Thought of the Day - March 22, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - March 15, 2023
  • Thought of the Day - March 8, 2023

Filed Under: General

Other Articles You May Find Useful

  • Thought of the Day
  • Avoiding Estate Planning Mistakes: A Guide for Newbies
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day
  • Thought of the Day

About Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney

Mr. Stephen Mendel is an attorney who focuses a substantial part of his practice on estate planning. Mr. Mendel’s guiding principle is to provide his clients with quality legal services tailored to each client’s specific needs and goals.

Primary Sidebar

The Mendel Law Firm

Follow Us

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS

Blog Subscription

Subscribe to our blog to get all of the latest updates from our attorneys.

HOUSTON

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
Houston 77079
United States (US)
Phone: (281) 759-3213
Fax: 281-759-3214

Map

map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

The Mendel Law Firm

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
attorney-client relationship.

© 2023 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys