What To Do with Old Phone Contacts (Family)

Dear Suze, I’m old enough to remember spiral-bound address books with refillable pages. Some old friends have many crossed-out addresses from when I knew them since high school! And, I still use this leasther bound book as back-up to losing my phone. My mother’s in hospice and it’s time to take her off the family phone plan. Tips?

Sympathies for your family. So many details and to-do lists will follow, so keep track. Transfer of billing responsibility (TOBR) often requires a copy of the death certificate for many things including the phone company, banking, credit cards. Many of these companies require codes, passwords, and sometimes two-factor authentication (2FA) that people store on their phones, so keep the phone live until all those details are sorted out. Fidelity, AARF, Experian (credit reporting agency) and others have free on-line checklists of what to do immediately -through months after someone’s death. Don't do anything with old contacts until, and unless, you're ready. -SQ