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name: notify-everyone-of-a-death description: "Work through who and what has to be notified after someone dies — the people, agencies, banks, and accounts — in a sane order, so nothing critical is missed while grieving. Use when asked who do I need to notify when someone dies, what to do after a death checklist, or how do I handle my parent's accounts after they died. Produces an ordered notification checklist (immediate people, then government/SSA, then financial, then subscriptions/digital), what each notification needs (death certificates, account numbers), how many death certificates to order, what to stop vs. transfer vs. close, and the scams that target the newly bereaved. Not legal or financial advice."

Notify Everyone of a Death

After a death, an administrative avalanche lands exactly when there's no capacity for it — dozens of people, agencies, and accounts to notify, each with its own requirements. This turns it into a calm sequence: who and what to notify in what order, what each one needs, how many death certificates to order, and the scams that prey on the grieving — so nothing critical slips while you grieve.

What This Skill Produces

• An ordered notification checklist — immediate circle first, then government (SSA, and where relevant benefits/tax agencies), then financial (banks, insurers, pensions), then subscriptions and digital accounts
• What each notification needs — death certificates, account numbers, relationship proof — so calls aren't repeated
• A death-certificate count — a realistic number of certified copies to order up front (many institutions want an original)
• Stop vs. transfer vs. close — for each account type, what actually should happen (stop benefits that will claw back, transfer a joint account, close a card)
• A scam warning — the identity theft and fraud that target the recently deceased and their families, and how to reduce it
• A "not now" list — what genuinely can wait weeks, so the first days aren't spent on the non-urgent

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• Your role — executor/next of kin/family, and whether there's a will/estate
• The accounts — roughly what existed (benefits, banks, property, subscriptions) — no need for detail yet
• Region — country/state (agencies and probate differ)
• Time-sensitive items — anything with an imminent deadline (a pension, a lease, a business)

Framework: People, Government, Money, Digital — In Order

1. Order certified death certificates early. Most notifications require one; ordering enough up front prevents weeks of delay. Estimate generously.
2. Notify the immediate circle first. People before paperwork — the administrative work can start in parallel but humans come first.
3. Then government. Social Security / national benefits and tax agencies — because unstopped benefits often must be repaid, and this prevents fraud on the identity.
4. Then financial. Banks, insurers, pensions, credit — each with stop/transfer/close handled correctly, not blanket-closed.
5. Then digital and subscriptions. Recurring charges, email, social accounts — memorialize or close deliberately.
6. Guard against fraud. Notify credit bureaus, watch for account takeover, and don't publish details that enable it — the bereaved are targeted.

Output Format

Notifications after a death: [role] · [region]

Order first: [~N certified death certificates]. 1 · People: [immediate circle]. 2 · Government: [SSA/national benefits · tax agency — stop benefits to avoid clawback · report to reduce fraud]. 3 · Financial: [banks · insurers · pensions · credit — stop/transfer/close per account]. 4 · Digital & subscriptions: [recurring charges · email · social — memorialize/close]. Each needs: [death cert · account #s · relationship proof]. Fraud guard: [notify credit bureaus · watch takeover · limit public detail]. Can wait: [the non-urgent list].

Not legal or financial advice — estate/probate steps vary by jurisdiction and the will. Confirm executor duties with a probate resource or attorney.

Quality Checks

• Orders certified death certificates up front, with a realistic count
• Sequences people → government → financial → digital
• Specifies stop vs. transfer vs. close per account type
• Warns about deceased-identity fraud and credit-bureau notification
• Separates what's urgent from what can wait

Anti-Patterns

• Closing everything blindly instead of stop/transfer/close per type.
• Under-ordering death certificates and stalling for weeks.
• Leaving benefits running that later must be repaid.
• Ignoring fraud risk on the deceased's identity.
• Front-loading non-urgent tasks into the hardest days.

Example Trigger Phrases

• "Who do I need to notify now that my dad has died?"
• "What's the checklist of things to do after a death?"
• "How do I handle my mother's accounts and benefits after she passed?"
• "How many death certificates should I order?"
• "What has to happen this week vs. what can wait after a death?"