Have you ever wondered, "what to do if I am terminally ill?" An uncle of mine just celebrated his sixty fifth birthday. He is a cancer survivor, and we are glad to have him with us still. When driving back I put myself in his shoes at the time of being diagnosed with cancer, and I realized the panic any person goes through at this juncture. When the doctor says, "you have only so many months or years to live," what does one do next?

I went to Google and found a few sites that discuss the answer to this question.  I will list here answers to some big ticket questions that pop up when one is diagnosed as terminally ill.

• Funeral planning - an eHow.com article by Kendra Leonard that covers very generally the things that must be considered when planning a funeral prehumously.
• Taxes and Insurance - The Palmerstone group have an article on what happens with income tax and insurance for an employee once that person is declared terminally ill.  It is a little on the detailed side, but it makes me aware of a little of the financial aspect of being terminally ill.
• Estate Planning - This is a checklist of what one can do with one's money when one is found terminally ill, by Lyster Inc.  This is a little related to wills, but it gives a better idea of what to put in the will.
• Wills (vs Living Wills) - 10 steps to completing one's last living will and testament, found on the PublicLegalForms.com site.
• A Warning - this blurb of a more complete article on HIghBeam research indicates that fees charged by some consultants to terminally ill patients for planning their last moments may be as much as 4x higher than normal.  I understand this as 4x higher fees from some for common but urgent activity like tax completion or will writing.  So, some financial planners will take advantage of the fact that a terminally ill patient does not have time to shop around or negotiate.  Be aware.