Doing so is essential if you want your family to know the circumstances in which you wish to decline life-support measures. Perhaps you plan to relocate to a more favorable climate or to be near family. Research the consequences of such a move in terms of the basic cost of living, access to health care, and state and federal tax obligations. In addition to owning a home or renting an apartment, a number of other housing options may be available in your community, many of which offer savings on housing expenses. An important part of financial planning is anticipating how to handle bad times.
Prudent planning includes learning about public and private benefits programs.
In most communities, governmental and private agencies offer services to help care for older persons, such as low-cost medical clinics, home health care, housing options, adult day care, and chore services. The local Social Security Administration office has information about entitlement programs such as Medicaid, disability insurance, food stamps, and Supplemental Security Income. When arranging family matters, it will ease your survivors' emotional burden if you let them know your preference for funeral or memorial arrangements. You can handle these matters yourself by planning through a non-profit cooperative memorial society or by prepaying at the funeral home of your choice. If you decide to pre-pay, be sure you or your survivors can cancel the contract should you move or change your mind.