Responsible people complete their estate planning so that their survivors and beneficiaries receive the inheritances their loved ones intended to leave them. You may have already done your estate planning — but there is one aspect that you might want to add.
“Döstädning,” or Swedish death cleaning as it is also known, is the Scandinavian custom of preparing for one’s eventual demise by eliminating a lifetime’s worth of clutter from your life.
Why this can be a good idea
Have you ever had to clean out the home and sort through the belongings of a deceased loved one? If so, you may have been overwhelmed by the mountain of “stuff” that they accumulated over a lifetime.
You may even have run across some shocking or embarrassing items or information that caused you to re-evaluate your opinion of your much-loved relative. If so, you can understand the desire to prevent the same thing from occurring to the ones you leave behind.
Another factor to consider
By sorting through your cherished possessions now, you the make decisions on whom should get what. Even better, you can watch their enjoyment when you give special items to them to use now.
Estate planning is an ongoing process
Whether or not you decide to add Swedish death cleaning to your estate plan, one thing you should know is that estate planning is not something that you do once and never again address. Any life changes like divorce, marriage or the death of any family members should be your cue to review and perhaps revamp the plan you already have in place.