Dying is a serious and complicated business
DON'T LET DEATH CATCH YOU OFF GUARD

Most experiences with death and dying are crippling at best...but add into the mix, a lack of preparation, financial chaos, family dynamics, exploitation of the survivor, together with a variety of peripheral circumstances, and you have a situation that is paralyzing.

It is unfortunate, but statistics prove that most people don't have arrangements made for when they die. Mostly, this is due to not knowing where to begin, and the fact that none of us really want to think about the day we are going to die. This is a huge mistake, a preventable mistake, and one I would love to help you avoid. The ones you leave behind will be grateful if you do!

If you don't plan ahead and put your thoughts in writing, the state, quarreling siblings, or a host of entities over which you have no control, will make your decisions for you. Probate courts are inundated with cases resulting from a lack of planning on the part of families. Don't let this happen to your loved ones.

and then there was one (0-961746874, 258 pp, 8.3 x 11.7, $30.00, includes shipping, handling and applicable taxes),is a complete workbook guide to aid in end-of-life planning. It is an all-in-one-place to map out wishes, list legal and financial affairs and ease the way for survivors. It contains over 60 forms and comprehensive checklists that spell out what needs to be taken care of before–and after–a death. By using this guide, the user can reduce or eliminate most of the disorganized frenzy and (likely) unintended consequences that follow the death of a loved one?making the transition easier for their survivor(s). Protecting your survivor(s) is a compassionate gift.

Author Charlotte Fox faced many challenges when her husband died unexpectedly. Her experiences inspired her to compile this workbook guide. Fox researched her subject thoroughly and enlisted professionals to contribute their expertise. Since 2005, she has been using and refining and then there was one while conducting *free workshops throughout Arizona. and then there was one has evolved into a unique, accurate and invaluable preparation tool that is endorsed by professionals dealing with end-of-life issues. Those who have lovingly contributed to the development of this guide include: an attorney, a financial planner, a funeral home owner, a doctor, a retired registered nurse, a graphic design artist and a deputy sheriff.

It is the goal of this workbook to help you make your end-of-life plans, so your survivors can easily navigate the overwhelming maze that lies ahead of them. Educators and like professionals have praised and then there was one as an exceptional tool for both planning ahead and post-loss of a loved one.

Some of what you will find inside the covers this this 258-page workbook guide...

• Comprehensive step-by-step checklists and fill-in-the-blanks format will help the user to eliminate most of the disorganized frenzy (and likely unintended) consequences that follow the death of a loved one-thus protecting and making the transition easier for survivors during this traumatic and heartbreaking time.
• An eight-page checklist with over 70 items to be checked off...some now, before a death, and some later, by your survivors.
• Over 60 forms to fill in to help your survivors navigate the transition more easily.
• Forms and form letters to help the survivor organize their finances and do what they can do to preserve their estate and manage all their business affairs.
• Form letters to copy and correspond with the endless list of business entities.
• Explanations of how estates pass and your rights as a survivor.
• Besides an explanation of all end-of-life documents, the following examples are included: Advance Directives (formerly called Living Will); Durable Health Care Power of Attorney with Mental Health Authority; General Durable Power of Attorney; Anatomical gifting and Organ Donation information.
• Authorization and other informational forms to complete regarding the caretaking of your pets while on vacation or upon your demise.
• Numerous tips and suggestions for both the survivor and the helpful friends of the survivor.
• Space for tangible property distribution, your personal thoughts, and an Ethical Will.
• Information to help prevent identity fraud.
• A guided tour for your end-of-life planning to simplify this overwhelming task and help you engage in conversations about this topic with your loved ones.

These checklists and forms have been developed as it is a known fact that the frame of mind one is in after losing a loved one, makes it impossible to function at a fully cognizant level. Having checklists to go by, and forms to fill the blanks in with, makes the business-end of the process easier to manage.

An attendee at one of the workshops wrote and said in part: "And, to the specific point of your Workbook, whichever of us outlives the other will be assured of a transition that will be as painless as possible under what will predictably be a traumatic situation. I have started filling out the workbook today."

Don't let death catch you and your loved ones unprepared!

For more information about and then there was one, or to schedule a workshop for your group or gated community, please contact Charlotte Fox at 928.525.1527, or E-mail at Charlotte.fox@therewasone.com.

*Free workshops include professionals offering free legal advice, Hospice representatives, and others addressing health and various end-of-life-planning topics.