When Diana Burrell, Hanscom FCU’s communications manager, lost her mother and stepfather within two weeks of each other, she was left with the unexpected task of resolving their finances – everything from paying off their outstanding credit card bills and ensuring their household utilities continued to be paid, to depositing checks for her stepfather’s business. Handling multiple accounts at various financial institutions was not only confusing, but frequently frustrating and stressful, and was compounded by her sadness and grief.

This painful experience led her to develop Hanscom FCU’s Family Survivorship Guide, an eGuide for family members who need to resolve their loved one’s financial affairs with the credit union.

“Because I’d just gone through this myself,” Burrell said, “I was able to write the guide I’d wished I’d had when my parents passed away. I thought about all the questions I’d had in the months after their deaths, and then researched and verified the answers with various departments here. It was important to me that this guide provided answers that are clear, accurate, and that help rather than hinder, a spouse, a parent, or a child who already has enough to deal with.”

Hanscom FCU’s Family Survivorship Guide recently won a coveted Diamond Award from the Credit Union National Organization’s (CUNA) Marketing & Business Development Council in the financial education category. “I was thrilled about that,” said Burrell, “but my real gratification comes from knowing this guide can help someone who’s going through an incredibly sad and painful time. It was written with the goal of getting them through the process of account settlement with Hanscom FCU easily and expeditiously.”

Download a free copy of the Family Survivorship Guide