My Parents Are Dead: What Now?

A certified death doula provides an accessible and digestible guide to dealing with the legal, financial logistical hurdles of a parent’s death—without losing your sense of humor.

Your parent died. Now what? Along with the grief comes an overwhelming list of decisions, paperwork, phone calls, legal questions, financial loose ends—and tasks no one ever taught you how to handle.

But you don’t have to do it alone.

After losing both parents, certified death doula Becky Robison devoted herself to making death and postdeath logistics easier on others. She draws on her own experience, plus interviews with experts ranging from monument makers to morticians, to break down the confusing logistics of death into manageable steps.

• A clear, step-by-step guide to the practical tasks that follow a death, from the first decisions and funeral arrangements to paperwork, property, finances, and closing an estate
• Understand death certificates, executors, wills and trusts, probate court, beneficiaries, bills, taxes, insurance, bank accounts, investments, and other bureaucratic responsibilities without drowning in legal jargon
• Get straightforward guidance on funeral homes, memorial planning, burial, cremation, body donation, cemeteries, and the decisions families may need to make immediately after a death
• Learn what happens to a parent's home, belongings, accounts, bills, and debts, and how to tackle the emotionally exhausting job of sorting through a lifetime of stuff
• Start difficult but important conversations about end-of-life wishes, paperwork, finances, and final arrangements while your parents are still here, so everyone can face the future with fewer unanswered questions.

Nothing about losing a parent is easy. The good news is you have someone on your side. Get a calm, practical roadmap for what to do when a parent dies—and what you can do now to make someday a little easier.