Hey so, I’m not a lawyer, but I think this important enough to toot.

If you’re like me and you’re not legally married, and you don’t have much blood family or you’re estranged or your family is found, have a will, and put specific funeral and burial arrangements in legal documents. Even if you’re 30. Even if your partner or found family has complete legal and medical power of attorney already. Be explicit in legally binding writing.

In my state and probably others, POA is basically useless upon death. Unless there is an immediate blood relative there, the state takes over a bunch of funeral decisions and power of attorney means about diddly squat. Just please, do it.

@hacks4pancakes

If you care at all about any of your relatives getting any of your stuff....

Do everything necessary to keep it out of probate.

I witnessed children fixing up departed mom's house to sell, selling it, then oops can't complete the sale because house got taken out of the trust for a refinance and not put back in, so sat empty for 9 months til the probate sorted out. Then they got to spruce it up and sell it again.