If you lost a loved one to COVID-19, you may be eligible for a government program that pays for funeral expenses. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will pay up to $9,000 for funeral expenses for loved ones who died of COVID-19. Survivors can apply for benefits by contacting FEMA, toll-free, at 844-684-6333. To find out if you qualify, read FEMA’s Funeral Assistance FAQs.

Unfortunately, FEMA reports that scammers are contacting people and pretending to offer to register them for assistance. To avoid those scams, here are some tips:

• FEMA will not contact you until you call or apply for assistance.
• The government won’t ask you to pay anything to get this benefit. 
• Don’t give your own or your deceased loved one’s personal or financial information to anyone who contacts you out of the blue.

If you think you got a scam call, hang up and report it to the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 or the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Build a Financial Map for your survivors

As part of your estate planning and letter of last instruction, every adult needs to build a financial map for their survivors and estate executor. The best description I've seen is available at https://humbledollar.com/2021/01/for-their-sake/. 
 

Financial expert Adam M. Grossman describes why and how he built a "financial map" for his wife:
"A FEW YEARS BACK, I found myself in the emergency room, thinking I had a serious condition. As I sat there, I worried about my family, including my wife and young children. If I didn’t come home, would my wife have a clear picture of our finances?"

"Financial map. If you’ve prepared an estate plan, that’s great. But don’t stop there. Put yourself in your family’s shoes. Would they know where to find the original, signed documents? Would they know how to contact your attorney and what steps to take first? I recommend drawing up a simple, one-page summary—what I call a financial map—that will tell your heirs where to find important documents, vendors and the other information that I describe below."

Contact list. 

Balance sheet. 

Further commentary. "In most cases, a simple balance sheet is sufficient. But if you have any unusual holdings—an annuity, a pension, employee stock options or stock in a private company or partnership—you should write up brief descriptions for each." 

Assets under the radar. "Do you have assets that would be hard to find—a safe deposit box, for example? I’ve seen more than one person hide cash around the house, stashing it in books and filing cabinets."

Easily accessible funds. "When someone dies, banks and brokers move quickly to freeze the deceased person’s assets. That’s why you want to be sure to hold at least some assets in a joint account with a spouse or other family member."

Letters. "To complement their formal estate plan, many people write letters to provide further guidance to guardians, trustees or executors. These letters can articulate some of your more personal wishes..."

Passwords. 

Subscriptions. 

Arrangements. pre-paid funeral arrangements and your desires for final good-bye ceremony.

Full details at: https://humbledollar.com/2021/01/for-their-sake/