Think of loved ones and plan for the future

Being prepared for your own death is an essential part of life. Here are five simple steps to take

1. THINK ABOUT YOUR FUNERAL

“The first step to helping your family, and also ensuring your wishes for your funeral are followed, is to write them down,” says Executive Director of Red Apple Law (www. myredapplelaw.com), Angie Wilson.

“It may be easier to start by thinking about what you don’t want as this provides reassurance to your loved ones that they won’t choose something you wouldn’t have wanted.

“Then think about what you would like. Flowers or donations to charity perhaps? What kind of service? Talk through the individual parts of the ceremony with your loved ones. Don’t forget about the music you would like played.”

2. START SAVING NOW

“Dying is actually a fairly expensive business,” says Angie. “And even the most simple of funerals can cost thousands of pounds.

“So what can you do about this? The short answer is not much but you can be aware of it and start planning now. There are a few options, from putting money into a high interest savings account, to a ‘later years’-type life insurance plan or a pre-paid funeral plan.

“Although any steps you may have taken along these lines will help, you must be aware of any shortfalls. With the sharp rises seen, year-onyear, how can you possibly know how much to save and for how long?

“If you have a pre-paid funeral plan you’re fully covered though aren’t you? Sadly, not necessarily. I urge you to check one thing – how much of your disbursements, such as doctor’s certificates, flowers etc, are included?”

3. ENSURE YOU’RE INSURED

“We’ve all seen the adverts and given fleeting thoughts around ‘what if ’ and many of us have life insurance in place, so we’re ok right?,” says Angie.

“Maybe so but when was the last time you checked the suitability of your policy? If your circumstances have changed and you haven’t informed your insurance provider, you could well be paying monthly for something that wouldn’t actually pay out.

“You owe it to yourself to dig the policy out and check through it.”

4. PASS ON YOUR PASSWORDS

“Ok, so who knows your passwords for Facebook, Amazon, internet banking, your TV subscription accounts and just about everything else you sign into online — other than you?,” asks Angie.

“In order to work towards your hard-earned cash not becoming part of a forgotten account, what can you do?

“One solution is a ‘digital asset vault’, essentially a digital filing cabinet where you can store passwords, important documents and other sensitive pieces of information all together, in one place. You then appoint 2-4 trusted people with whom you can share this encrypted password with either during your lifetime or only when you choose for them to have it.

“If you do come across one of these ‘digital asset vaults’, make sure you check its security capabilities, which should be at least ‘bank level’, ‘military grade’.”

5. WHERE THERE’S A WILL…

“Many people have probably suggested making a will over the years, but in my experience people leave it around 10 years before actually getting a will made,” says Angie.

“Why bother? Well, you could leave it and let Intestacy kick in — this is the set of rules governing what happens to your Estate (everything you own) if you die without a valid will in place. Partners may get nothing, you won’t get to choose who you would like to care for your children or deal with your affairs after you have gone. Worst of all, if you have no relatives, your Estate goes to the Crown.”