Shakespeare referred to death as ‘that undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveller returns’. That’s good enough reason to set up a before death checklist.
There are many people who reach breaking point with their despair, but they still hold onto life whatever it takes.Even Christians who believe in a wonderful hereafter, don’t relish the idea of departure from the earth.
Nonetheless there are many people who have made their peace with death, and they prepare for it with a before death checklist so that their loved ones can have calm of heart when they go through their things after death. They want everything to be in order. When the icy winds of grief threaten to disrupt your balance, seeing the way your loved one prepared for it can ease your distress and lighten your burden.
But how does one prepare for this life changing event? Its not good enough just keeping a whole lot of documents in a file. You need to make your beneficiaries or heirs aware of where the file is kept and what its contents are by preparing a before death checklist. If you knew of the tedious and frustrating financial consequences of failing to keep your documents in order, you would seriously get yours in order. This is to simply avoid your property and other assets landing up in the state treasury unclaimed. A before death checklist can help you by offering advice and tips.
Checklist
- Make sure you have details of all your accounts. This is an important part of a before death checklist, that your accounts can be closed after your death. These include your cell phone account, bank accounts, your water and electricity account etc.
- Make sure you include account numbers etc. Make a list of your credit cards as well as debt that you owe.
- Ensure you supply a list of passwords and that your family will be able to access your accounts, including details about your Internet banking and your email password etc. Think of all the difficulties if your family and executor aren’t able to access anything.
- If you have a will, make yours as you wish. If you don’t have one, create a will one to ensure the correct distribution of your assets. Your attorney will help you with this for a reasonable fee. Don’t forget there is also excellent will-making software available online for you to draw up your own will. Sign your will and put a date on it and then get 2 witnesses to sign it.
- Create a living will in case you are incapacitated and on life support before death. This is separate from your last will and testament
Further Checklist Items
- Include in your before death checklist details about funeral plans you have, taxes etc.
- Make a list of charities you supported with donations. The reason for this is that sometimes they have accidental life insurance benefits and your beneficiaries may be eligible.
- Update your life insurance and annuities and make sure your beneficiaries are correct.
- If your estate exceeds R250 000 then some of the documents you will need to have in order (some before death and some after) will be a completed death notice, original copy of marriage certificate, a declaration of marriage by the surviving spouse stating how the deceased was married, all original wills, certified copy of the ID of the deceased, complete Acceptance of Trust as Executor forms.
Before Death Checklist – An Unfailing Plan for a Smooth Road Ahead
A before death checklist can help you ensure you can die in peace because you’ve left everything in an orderly fashion. Just remember, you can keep these documents with your attorney who will keep them under lock and key in a fire-proof, safe-deposit box. He who fails to plan, plans to fail, and every person needs to have a before death checklist according to which he approaches death and which indicates to those left behind the smoothness of the road ahead.
To get a FREE funeral cover quote, complete and submit the form above
For life insurance quotes, please go here