The first step in filing a life insurance claim is to get copies of the death certificate. In general, completing and filing the death certificate is the responsibility of the funeral director. Depending on the cause of death and whether an autopsy is performed, it can take up to 12 weeks for the final death certificate to be ready. The funeral home will give you up to ten copies at no charge. If you need more copies, you can order them directly from the state. There may be a charge for this service. Once you have the policy information and death certificates, contact each insurance company to find out the appropriate claim procedure. If the insurance was purchased through an agent, s/he can help you deal with a life insurance company. Life insurance policies can be in effect for decades before the death of the insured. Over time companies may be bought and sold or merged. If you find insurance documents, but the contact information is no longer valid, contact the state Insurance Commission. They can help you research which company is responsible for the policy and give you up-to-date contact information. Each insurance company will have its own rules and methods. Some may accept online claims. Many will require that you fill out and submit a hard-copy claim. It is critical that you follow the claims instructions carefully. Submit all requested information and attachments. As the beneficiary, you may be required to submit proof of your identity. Failure to follow established procedures may lead to delays or rejection of your claim. If the cause of death was violence (such as suicide or homicide), the claim may be delayed pending completion of a police investigation.

Summary: Obtain a certified death certificate. Contact the life insurance companies. Complete the claim procedures.

Place your pinky, ring, and middle fingers on the side of the cards facing away from you, and place your thumb on the end of the cards that is closest to you. Use your index finger as support on the top side.

Summary: Hold the deck of cards horizontally in your dominant hand.

Move anything that doesn't belong on your bed off it. Making your bed can make a small room look cleaner with very little effort. Tuck bed sheets in neatly and arrange your pillows nicely. If you ever have too many blankets or pillows, take off the ones that you don't need or use often. It'll be hard at first, but once you stop adding sentimental value to unnecessary items you'll find that you have a lot more space than you think. Donate anything you haven't used in the last six months, or find storage outside your room, and move on. A small room can accumulate many small items on dressers and end tables. Find a spot for things like notebooks, jewelry, hair brushes, etc., if you don't use them every day and put them away. Wash any dirty clothes lying around your room and put them away. Buy and use a dirty clothes hamper if you don't already have one. If you aren't sure if some clothes are clean or dirty, wash it just to be safe. Clothes can take up a lot of unnecessary space when they are not folded or hung up properly. Organize your closet if you need to. Hang up any outfits you tried on but didn't put away. Make a donation pile for clothes you don't wear or don't fit anymore. You can either pass them down in your family or take them to a donation center. Put winter or summer clothes inside a luggage container, a bag or other place and store somewhere else until you need it. Swap the clothes out every change of season. This will create a lot more space and it cuts down searching time too. Only store clean clothing and add cedar balls, lavender bags, etc., to deter insects from eating the fabric. Get plastic bins that fit underneath your bed so you can store clothes in the off-season.

Summary: Make your bed. Get rid of things you haven't used in the last six months. Put anything you don't use every day away. Wash dirty clothes. Hang and put away clean clothes. Pack away all out-of-season clothing.

Suspend the egg in the center of a box or similar container using a pair of nylon stockings or panty hose. Stockings are very elastic and soft. As the container holding the egg strikes to ground, the stockings should give slightly, allowing the egg to come to a stop without that stop being quite so sudden. As a result, the force on the shell is lessened, making it less likely to crack. Cut off one leg of the stockings. Place the egg inside this leg at the center of stocking. Tie the egg in place using rubber bands. Tightly pull the stocking leg diagonally through a box, extending it from one upper corner to one bottom corner. The egg should be positioned in the center of the box. Staple or otherwise hold the stocking in place. Note that your box can be made of nearly any material. It could be a cardboard or plastic box, or you could even construct a box frame out of metal clothes hangers. You can place the egg at the top of a cushioned container instead of placing it in the center as long as you have a heavy enough weight to control the direction the container falls in. The easiest way to do this is to use a stone and styrofoam cups. Place one heavy rock in the bottom of one styrofoam cup. The rock must be heavier than egg. Place six more styrofoam cups inside the bottom cup, on top of the rock. Place the egg inside the top cup. Fit one more cup gently on top of the egg to secure the egg's position. Tape the cups together along the sides so that the container will not fall apart during the fall. If the rock is heavy enough, the container should fall rock-side down and egg-side up. The styrofoam cups should also help cushion the blow. If you can design a parachute for the container holding your egg, you can reduce the velocity at which the egg drops. Since the egg is falling at a slower speed, the force of the impact will be much less once it hits the ground. Less force means that your egg might have a chance at survival. There are a few different parachutes you can try, but one of the easiest materials to use is a plastic shopping bag. Place the egg in a box, along with any cushioning you may choose to use. Attach a large plastic grocery bag to the top of the box using tape or a stapler. Make sure that the handles are near the sides of the box so that enough air can get inside the bag as the box drops. When you drop the box, make sure that the side you attach the parachute to is at the top. This will allow air to fill the bag and cause it to open up, reducing the speed of the descent as a result.
Summary: Create a cradle. Weigh down the bottom of your container. Make a parachute.