necropolitico

5 Free Sites for Secure Record Storage

Many people wonder where the best place is to keep their important end-of-life or estate documents. Obviously, they should exist in a safe and easily accessible place, but what does that really mean? If you’d asked my grandparents, they probably would have said in the freezer (in case of a house fire), but in these…

Puerto Rico, Civil Codes, and You

Wanda, you’ve got some splaining to do! Early last week Puerto Rico’s Governor signed a new, “improved” Civil Code in to law that eliminates special anti-discrimination protections on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity… during a pandemic. Happy Pride, everybody! Sarcasm aside, this is actually a huge deal. My first inclination as someone…

Guilt and Long-Distance Grieving

Sometimes people that we love die and we cannot attend their funeral. It isn’t anyone’s fault. It’s just Facts™. And while, yes, the situation sucks, that doesn’t mean that you suck. Grieving from the sidelines is often a lonely place to be, but it needn’t be a guilty one. It is true that the extenuating…

How do We Grieve?

“This is just like when the AIDS happened.” One of my senior colleagues remarked to another as we all shuffled out of the morning meeting, weary and more than a little ‘over it.’ For the past month, our days have been punctuated by speculative smalltalk between conference calls with corporate leadership and public health officials,…

Sidenote: Seven-ish Common Misconceptions

Sidenote is a collection of real-life events that I have personally experienced or received as second-hand accounts from colleagues. They address different scenarios that are relevant to the blog and explore various points of funeral law. Think of them as the answers to short essay exam questions. Naturally, any identifying information has been removed. Today…

Sidenote: In Defense of “Just”

I was scrolling through Facebook the other day and a piece of independent journalism caught my eye. The title was inflammatory, the source was laughable (a cremation merchandise website), and I knew I should have just kept it moving, but, goddammit, Facebook caught me in a moment of “Ok Boomer” contrariness, and I shamelessly hate-read…

Contracts and How to Read Them

I will admit that I may have, allegedly, signed a dotted line or two in my life without fully understanding what I was agreeing to. I bet some of you have also done this. However, when it comes to funeral contracts, it’s really important to me that you understand what you’re looking at. Not just…

A funeral? In this economy?!

Funerals are the definition of an emotional purchase. Allow me to paint a picture: You, a walking flesh wound, have just had your heart broken in one of the most profound ways a human will ever experience. But, the clock is ticking, so, ready or not, you sit, vulnerable, lonely, and lost in a nondescript…

Ask: Getting the funeral you want

I have trouble speaking up for myself. I am conflict-averse, and if a situation has potential for embarrassment, I don’t want anything to do with it. I think some of you can probably relate. For example, earlier this year, I made a nanosecond of eye contact with the woman who owns my gym. Twenty minutes…