Have you every stopped to count how many organizations you belong to or the number of subscriptions that are in your name?   If something happened to you, do you have a list of these memberships and subscriptions in your Family Legacy Drawer?

Documenting a list of all the groups, clubs, organizations, programs, and subscriptions can help your loved ones with notifying, cancelling and/or transferring those accounts.   Often valuable rewards or member benefits, such as frequent flyer miles, may be transferred to family members upon death.  Other common memberships that can be transferred to family members include:

• Purchase discounts
• Newsletters and Magazines
• Paid-up services like road side assistance
• Free products or services such as hotel accommodations

Many people have subscriptions and memberships that are automatically renewed. Having a list to work from makes the cancellation process so much easier for the family.  It avoids incurring extra charges, saves time and frustration, and helps to protect you from identity theft.

There are many types of memberships and subscriptions. Here is a list that will help prompt your thinking as you put together your listing:

Memberships                                           Subscriptions

Business Associations                    Newspapers and Magazines

Professional Organizations                   Books and Music

Church and Religious                               Cable TV

Social and Service Groups                      Cell Phone

Fitness Clubs                                       Software providers

Civic and Charitable                             Mail order products

Retail (Costco, Sam’s Club)                    Season tickets

Consumer (AAA, Reward points)

Very simply, all you need to do for your Legacy Drawer is list the membership and subscription and the contact information. You may want to include a notes section to indicate any special instructions or transferrable benefits.

Setting aside this short amount of time to document this for your family now will save them time, money, and frustration in the future. They will appreciate this thoughtful gesture!