2014 Recap: 15 Super Interesting Stories We Ran You May Have Missed

Finally, an end-of-year list that has nothing to do with Ebola.

It’s been an eventful year so take some time to reflect with some helpful, instructional, and just downright fun Everplans stories from 2014.

1. Shhhh… It’s A Secret

How To Eliminate All The Skeletons In Your Closet After You Die

Questionable browser history, racy photographs, and private health conditions are just a few posthumous scandals you might want to avoid. What secrets do you want to take to the grave?

2. A Treat Almost As Good As Bacon

How To Make Sure Your Pets Are Taken Care Of After You’re Gone

America is approaching a belly rub crisis. Or, in the case of cats, that spot right above their tail that makes them like you for a few minutes.

Only 9-percent of people with Wills have made provisions for their pets. Even though it’s incredibly sad to think of our pets without us, it’s time to do something about it. Here’s how to keep tails waggin’ and kitties purring after you’re gone.

3. Healthy Skepticism

8 Reasons You Should Decline Being A Health Care Proxy

Being asked to assume responsibility of another person’s health care is an incredible display of trust and an endorsement of your dependability. It can also be an incredible burden.

Less than one-third of the adult population has a Living Will or other Advance Directive, so naming a Health Care Proxy (a.k.a. Health Care Power of Attorney) puts the principal (the eventual patient seeking your help) ahead of most. But are you up to the task?

4. 21-Gun Salute

Honoring Fallen Armed Forces Service Members: Military Funeral Customs Explained

Whether an active service member falls in combat or a veteran succumbs years later, a proper military burial is something they’ve earned. It allows their fellow service members a chance to provide a respectful goodbye and their family an important step towards closure. For those who have never experienced a military funeral firsthand, it’s powerful and displays the proud traditions of our Armed Forces.

Related: How To Collect Benefits

5. To Delete Or Not To Delete. That Is The Question.

How To Close Online Accounts And Services When Someone Dies

Step-by-step instructions on how to close more than 100 digital (and some non-digital) services… and the list keeps on growing.

6. Let’s Get Floral

The Meaning Behind 8 Different Types Of Popular Funeral Flowers

Before you tell the florist to “put something nice together,” take a minute to learn what your flowers might actually be saying.

7. Musical Healing

18 Songs That Make You Want To Give To Charity

Most songs simply want to make you happy or sad. But some are trying to do more, shedding light on an important social issue or cause and prompting people to act.

8. Think Outside The Box

6 Really Cool Alternate Uses For Caskets and Coffins (That Don’t Involve Death)

With so much craftsmanship on display with your average coffin or casket, it’s almost a shame to bury them in the earth for of all eternity. So while it may be a tad morbid, there are some ways to celebrate the aesthetic beauty of a coffin and take advantage of their practical side without the attendant mood killers like death. Enjoy these creative takes on the typical coffin…

9. Let’s Get Ready To Rumble

8 Signs Your Family Will Fight Over Your Estate

Death is agonizing enough without the added unseemliness of heir warfare. Here are some warning signs that there might be strife in your family after you're gone.

10. Never Forget, Never Regret

What Won’t You Regret About Your Life On Your Deathbed?

What are the things that made your life worth living? When did you do something against the norm that might have turned out great (or horribly) but was still worth the ride? It doesn’t have to be major life altering moments (as you’ll see when you click through to the article), but it should be something that brings a smile to your face whenever it drifts into your mind.

Related: End-Of-Life Checklists

11. Icons Make An Exit

Casey Kasem Passes Away; Preceded By Family Drama Over Radio Icon's Ailing Health

The drama surrounding Casey Kasem's family made a Real Housewives show look like Masterpiece Theater. Famous DJ! Fighting family! Flying meat! But at the center of it all was a very important and somewhat tragic story about the importance of planning.

12. Let’s Talk About Us

Everplans Appears In The New York Times

In 2014, Everplans qualified as "news that's fit to print.” While we don’t like to toot our own horn, or any horn for that matter (horns are so 2013), anything that gets the word out about planning is a step in the right direction.

13. Requiem For A Cape

No R.I.P. For Superheros: How Funerals Are Handled In Comic Books

There’s no such thing as a simple goodbye for superheroes. In 2014, Marvel announced they’re killing off one of their most popular characters… X-Men’s age-defying, claw-bearing Wolverine! While this may come as a shock to some, to many who follow comics and comic-based movies it’s just another iconic superhero flirting with the great beyond.

14. Set It But Don’t Forget It

Auto-Payments Don't Stop Just Because You're Dead

Automatic payments make life so much easier. As long as you keep money in your bank account and pay the credit card associated with the utilities and services, everything is paid on time and late fees are a thing of the past. On the negative side, it can also mask your death.

15. If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Cheat ‘Em

Cheat Sheets Covering Every Major Planning Topic

Since we know one of the hardest parts of planning is getting started, we cobbled together the most vital tips for each of the most important topics in our arsenal and crafted “Cheat Sheets.” Below are links to them all:

The Everplans Team wishes you and yours a happy and healthy 2015!

WRITTEN BY Gene Newman

Topics

Home Life

Digital Organization

Estate Planning

End-Of-Life Planning