When planning for death, do all that you can to exit this life in style

My idea of a balanced diet is a hamburger in each hand. With so many preservatives, I’ll probably live forever.

But in case I don’t, I’m learning it is important to get my paperwork in order and to pre-plan my funeral. My mother did and it helped things run smoothly during that difficult, emotional time when she died.

It’s better to plan ahead than to let the living regret not doing the right thing at your death – it’s a terrible burden on them.

Have an attorney write legal documents such as a living will, an advanced medical directive for health care or perhaps a do not resuscitate order. And whatever else is needed.

Have a financial planner review paperwork to ensure that beneficiaries are properly designated and that there is liquidity to pay for funeral expenses.

You rarely know when your time is up. One of my best friends was 59, had a stroke and died. He had no paperwork detailing his last wishes. He was incapacitated after the stroke and could not make his wishes known, so those around him did what they thought best.

It’s time to talk seriously. It might be uncomfortable, but it’s best to talk about medical care decisions, financial and estate planning, and expectations of what you want to happen.

I’ve talked to several funeral directors and there is a lot of planning to do beforehand. One funeral director had an interesting option: Wherever I should be when I die, the company will come get me – for a fee paid in advance – and will either have my body shipped home or cremate me and ship the ashes.

The director had a client die on a cruise ship in the Mediterranean Sea. The body could not stay on the ship, so a helicopter airlifted the body to the mainland for shipment to the U.S.

The cost was about $40,000. The option described above costs about $500.

There are so many questions: Who will write the obituary? What will it say? Where will you be buried? Do you have a plot? If you’re cremated, what happens to your ashes?

One interesting option for a final resting place – a reef ball. It is a large concrete ball, about 6 feet tall, that is composed of ashes of many individuals and will create a reef. Holes are made in the ball for fish to live in and swim through. A person’s ashes are entombed in the concrete ball and laid to rest in water, are environmentally and ecologically friendly and beneficial, and can be GPS located for visitation.

So now you’re gone. The living are left with your problems. Was there life insurance? Bills to pay? Bills to stop paying? There will be many unsettled issues.

Check with an attorney about the Florida Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Acts, which makes it easier for personal representatives to access digital data such as email and photos after the account holder dies.

Some say that once they are dead, they won’t care. But the living do care. There is a lot to dying. Living is tough enough, but dying is tough on the living.

Start organizing to make it easier on the survivors. Label possessions so there may be less argument about who gets your stuff.

If you have a unique feature or plan, let me know. I might use it. Since I’m in control until the end, it’s my choice and I will be going out in style.

This story was originally published September 18, 2017 at 12:23 PM with the headline "When planning for death, do all that you can to exit this life in style."