This was truly a gift that she gave her daughter. She knows the financial details are important. But what if you are left without such a paper trail or organization when a loved one dies?

Re-creating someone’s financial life is a process. Accomplishing this may involve weeks of looking through papers, finding passwords for their computer or discovering a key to a safe-deposit box.

You may be stuck in those shoes and need the following list. Or perhaps after reading this you will be motivated to summarizing your financial life and letting a loved one know how to find it. After all, grieving a death is hard enough without having to cope with paperwork. While many of these tasks can wait a few days or even a few weeks, knowing what they are will help take the stress away.

Here’s your what-to-do list:

1. Get death certificates. The municipality of death is the issuer of these certificates. Request several copies, as having at least five means never having to wait when a financial or legal institution requests the death certificate and won’t accept a scanned or faxed version.

2. Find the will. If the will is not easily located, notify the deceased’s lawyer, who may have a copy. Also contact the person’s accountant and investment professionals, if there is such a team. Those people will file income and estate tax returns and provide relevant information like investment holdings and income.

The will needs to be probated through the local court. This is where the will is verified and the executor appointed. If there is no will, the process may take longer but even then, an executor will be appointed and financial information will need to be provided.

Read:Yes, it’s possible to update your will while quarantined

3. Create a list of assets and debts. Be sure to include the estimated dollar value, if you do not have an exact amount. The court will want an accounting to be filed with the will to settle the deceased estate. While the executor is the person responsible for these details, other family members may have information like where they banked or where to find their statements or passwords.

For your own reference, maintain a list and how to connect with the related company for the following: bank accounts; retirement accounts (both defined-benefit plans — often thought of as pensions — and defined-contribution plans like 401(k)s and IRAs); life insurance; investment accounts; real estate; business ownership; plus cars and boats.

For example, the title to the car will establish if there is a loan and if the car is joint owned or individually owned. No one should be driving it without proper insurance and proper ownership in the wake of the death.

Do the same for liabilities: credit cards, mortgages, student loans, car loans and personal loans.

Why spend time combing through all these details? Finalizing an estate takes time and there are court costs even if you do it yourself. One executor who finalized an estate discovered she had not found a substantial income check and stock certificate from her father’s estate. So a year after her father’s death, she had to reopen the estate, request new checks made out to the estate, divided the money accordingly and then pay the court filing fee all over again.

Read:Avoid these 3 estate-planning mistakes and make probate cheaper and easier for your loved ones

4. Handle banking details. The estate is responsible for the bills and debts of the deceased (with some exceptions, like certain student loans). This is all part of managing cash flow, and many clues will be on the bank statements. Notify the utility company, the health-insurance provider, any phone, internet and cable companies and others. If there is not enough money to pay all the bills after the final accounting, the court decides what happens. It is not the personal responsibility of the executor.

The deceased’s checking accounts should not be used after death. The executor will need to open a separate checking account for the estate of the deceased. The initial deposit will be from checks made out to the estate. Follow the court administrator and lawyer’s directions if you use one.

If the deceased was still working, contact the employer so any income due will be paid to the estate. If the person was retired, notify Social Security because future payments to the deceased need to stop, and there may be a $255 burial benefit paid to the estate.

5. Keep a paper trail. Anything related to burial expenses, travel expenses for the executor, and all paperwork and expenses related to settling the estate are important for a final accounting. Include the time you spent on these tasks and any cost related to the organizing and cleaning up these details.

This does not have to be done all at once, but having a list and getting started is very important.

Much of this financial detail work is the same no matter how much or how little someone has. All of it is time-consuming and needs to be done in a timely manner. Delays may just cause you more paperwork as far as seeking refunds and missing deadlines for your state. Being prepared is the best way to make this transition go smoothly.

Also read:Catastrophe struck when my husband was killed. Here’s what I learned about creating a ‘what if’ plan

CD Moriarty, CFP is a Vermont-based financial speaker, writer and coach who wants to create financial peace of mind for others. She can be reached through her website at www.MoneyPeace.com.