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At some time in our life, we are all going to face the loss of a loved one. When your loved one passes away and you begin the journey of getting things taken care of, here are some tips:

Get all the documents together.  You will need multiple copies of death certificates. Although grim, the death certificate will be a necessity in getting access to some financial resources. You will need this to: file death benefits, apply for retirement and Social Security benefits (if applicable), to settle the estate and assume control of the assets.

You will also want to gather as many of the deceased's financial documents as you can. These will include living wills, powers of attorney, insurance policies, unpaid bills and bank statements. Pay the bills and notify the financial institutions of the death as quickly as you can to avoid a bad reflection on your own credit.

Death benefits may come from various sources, so be sure to explore the following:

• Personal life insurance
• Employee life insurance
• Business ownership life insurance
• Travel insurance
• Social Security
• Veteran's or active-military benefits
• Union or professional organization membership
• Benefits attached to other sources like credit cards; payment protection for mortgages; auto insurers and previous employers