Guides for life's toughest moments

Welcome to DieSmart

My name is Kathy Lane and I am one of the founders of DieSmart. I am also a mother, wife, grandmother and, until my mother died last year at the age of 95, a caretaker. And I thought I was retired.

My partner and I are not attorneys; not doctors; not grief counselors. We are people who have started and managed businesses, raised families and nurtured friends. We became caretakers for our aging parents, and then acted as executors of their estate.

We found it hard to believe that educated people like ourselves did not understand the paperwork or the legal and financial aspects of dying. We realized that no one teaches someone how to die smart in school. Or explain why a lack of knowing or doing means someone pays later.

We discovered that dying is not just an emotional event in life, but a major financial one as well. An event where "dying dumb" can cost 4 to 8% of your net worth and, if long term care is involved, perhaps all of it.

Most Recent Posts

May 14th, 2013 Vermont passes doctor-assisted suicide law Yesterday, the Vermont House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that will legalize doctor-assisted suicide. The State Senate had approved the measure previously. All that remains is for Governor Peter Shumlin to sign the bill and the Patient Choices at the End [...]

April 21st, 2013 Your digital after life: Does Google’s Inactive Account Manager offer more control? There has been a lot of discussion and controversy over the last few years about what happens to your digital assets when you die. Earlier this week, Google took a stab at solving this issue for its users when it announced the launch of [...]

April 16th, 2013 President Obama makes “permanent” estate tax temporary again. President Obama proposed 2014 budget: Changing the Estate Tax and Gift Tax Rates AGAIN!!! From January 1, 2001 through December 31, 2012, Congress seemed intent on making planning for death more complicated than it already is by creating a series of “temporary” estate [...]

April 5th, 2013 Whole Body Donation – Another Option The other night, I was at the emergency room of our local hospital and overheard half of a phone conversation. Evidently, a relative had died of cancer within the last hour and there was no money available for a funeral. The person I [...]