1 reaction to this article

BRINGAS24 posted: 2010-04-08 21:21:25

I would like to add to this very informative and helpful article concerning the loss of a loved one based on one income family of the “primary head of household”; as I am able to speak from my personal experience when I lost my husband due to a terminal illness for which did not allow us time to set finances and important documents and most important factor of all in “what to do in such circumstances” as an expat, this is an extremely important factor to take into consideration specially if the primary provider is no longer there; I, too was a stay at home mom and my late husband provided a very lucrative income; unfortunately by the time he was diagnosed with cancer, he was in between jobs, with no longer a life insurance to provide for the loss of your loved one and to the family left behind.
Through this experience, I had bank accounts blocked and could not access the remainder of the funds left to my disposal without consulting the bank to pay the running bills, at the same time, the traumatic experience of realizing the laws pertaining to the country you are residing is not only daunting, it is extremely difficult to resolve without any knowledge of what you must deal with; not to mention you are dealing with a very traumatic loss of your loved one. As I then became the provider and sole guardian of our minor child for which I had to go to the local court house to establish this fact for the best interest of the minor child and for the purpose that all remaining funds will not be abuse and protect the child’s best interest. For which I find this reasonable but at the same time the circumstance would be as I am the mother and guardian, I would not abuse, neglect or do anything against the principal of what a parent is morally obliged to do. So in short, my character came into question as regards of the funds and that is one of the circumstances for which the funds are blocked under the loss of a spouse.
Additionally, under these circumstances, the process became a living nightmare for which there is nothing that can prepare you for is to come. Your financial stability is nonexistent until it is establish that you are the beneficiary and that you become financially responsible to all debts left behind; and please take into consideration that even if such debts are not in “your name” you instantly become the responsible party, regardless of your financial circumstances at the time; the law and creditors do not consider your loss and as such you are left with a lot of pending responsibilities.
Even though our financial status before my husband’s loss was very comfortable, my husband always depended on the company’s benefit package, meaning life insurance, pensions, savings plans etc; when that is no longer there; you are pretty much on your own in a foreign country and with children to provide for; needless to say I wish I had information and help from my embassy to sort this out; at the end your are on solely on your own to sort everything out.
There is a light at the end of the tunnel, not to say without some of the most difficult tasks you will have to overcome, I advise expat families to take this issue with extreme consideration!; I am pleased that your article has appeared in Expatica as I had told myself I would come to write about my experience one day to give this issue some sort of advice and please consider to make arrangements before you find yourself in my situation.
Best Regards,
Irma Bringas Claeys