Legal Considerations
 

• I consult a lawyer or notary to:
  
   
  • Review my will and my power of attorney in the event of incapacity. In the event of my death, it's important to appoint a guardian for my children and tutor to property to look after their estate. It is also important to first discuss this with the person that I've chosen to make sure he or she agrees.
    
    
  • Set up a living will. In this way, my loved ones will be aware of my wishes as to the medical care that I want or don't want to receive in case I become unable to express my desires.
     
• To help my loved ones with the liquidation of my estate, I make an inventory of my assets, I complete My Personal Record (in PDF format, 186 kb), and I draw up a List of People and Place (in PDF format, 36 kb) to contact in the event of my death or incapacity.
  
  
• I review the beneficiary designations in:
  
   
  • My individual and group life insurance contracts, if applicable
  • My investment contracts, if applicable
  • My private or public pension plans, if applicable
  • Other.

 Personal Finances
 

• The death of a loved one leads to financial changes for my family. Will we able to keep the same standard of living? I use the simulators to review my budget, determine my net worth and find out how much I need to save for something special.
  
  
• I consult an expert about the tax implications of the transfer of assets following my spouse's bequest and about my new tax status.
  
  
• I contact my representative or my advisor to transfer the RRSPs that I inherited from my spouse. I get more information on this subject by referring to the Death of the RRSP Planholder section of the RRSP and Retirement Centre.
  
  
• I gather the various documents related to our joint possessions (credit cards, investments, joint bank account, etc.) to determine what needs to be changed as a result of my new status.
  
  
• To obtain the benefits that my children and I are entitled to receive, I notify the various levels of government and my spouse's employer of her death.
  
  
• I inform the various professionals whose services I use of my new situation, for example, my representative and my accountant, as well as the private and public organizations, the federal and provincial governments, the school, etc., if applicable.
  
  
• I inform the various financial institutions where my spouse took out loan insurance providing for the reimbursement of her credit card balance, lines of credit and mortgage loan on her death.  I check if her credit cards and the associations where she was a member provide for the payment of a lump sum in the event of death.
   

Protecting and Maintaining Your Standard of Living
 

• I check to see if my children continue to be covered under the family plan of my deceased spouse's group insurance.
  
  
• I want to leave my children an inheritance large enough to allow their guardian/tutor to look after their needs until they are completely independent. I'm also concerned about lowering the taxes to be paid on my death. I make sure therefore that my heirs have the necessary cash to cover my final expenses. I consult the I Need Advice Tailored to My Situation - Widowed Individuals section.
  
  
• I review my insurance portfolio. I make sure that I have enough disability or critical illness insurance to cover my children's needs in case I become disabled or critically ill.
   

Useful links

What to do when someone has died - Canada Revenue Agency
What to do in the event of death - Services for Citizens - Government of Quebec
The living will - Éducaloi (Quebec)
Wills and Death - Government of Ontario
Dealing with Death - Service Alberta, Government of Alberta
Death Registration and Certificates - Vital Statistics Agency, British Columbia Ministry of Health
Death Payments - Manitoba Public Insurance