Don't die before you take this vital step

Nobody likes to dwell on the idea that one day we'll not be around, so it's hardly surprising that we put off planning for our death. It's no wonder that three in five people haven't made a will, two thirds haven't talked about plans for their funeral, and three quarters have never talked about how we would cope financially and practically if our other half passed away. However, leaving these things unsaid and undone can bring even more stress at an incredibly difficult time, and the experts say that there's one simple thing we all need to do before it's too late.

Making things worse

Royal London looked into the impact of not planning for the death of a loved one. It found that the half of the couple left behind found themselves thrown into financial and practical issues on top of the emotional trauma.

Around one in five said the hardest thing was living on a lower income after losing their partner, while around the same number said they didn't have a clue what to arrange for the funeral. One in six said they struggled to look after the house, a third couldn't cook for themselves, and four in ten couldn't get on top of the laundry.

Steve Webb, Director of Policy at Royal London, said: "Whilst nothing can prepare you for the loss of a loved one, families who have experienced a loss are clear that there are things they wish they had done to ease the practical and financial consequences of bereavement. There are steps that we can all take now that would make life easier for our loved ones after we have gone".

The one vital step

Claire Henry, Chief Executive at The National Council for Palliative Care and the Dying Matters coalition, said the vital first step is to have what she calls the 'big conversation'. This should get you started in terms of thinking about what would happen if you lost your other half, so you can both set up sensible plans for what you will do if the worst should happen.

There are five vital questions you need to cover during this discussion.

1. Where is everything?
You need to know where all your partner's key financial information is - from mortgages to bank accounts. Is it online or in a single file at home? Where is that file? And what are the passwords? If all the bills are just in one name, consider putting them in joint names to make things easier.

2. What do you need to learn?
Ask your partner the question "if I died could you..." organise the car maintenance, carry out household chores or pay the utility bills? There's plenty of time for you both to get the hang of everything if you ask now.

3. Do you have a will?
You both need a will, and it must be up-to-date. You also need to know where the other person has put their will.

4. Do you have any insurance policies in place?
What are you and your partner insured for and will this be enough? Where are the policies, and under what circumstances will they pay out?

5. Do you have a funeral plan?
You need to know about any specific arrangements your other half would like, but also whether they have set money aside, or are investing in a funeral plan to pay for it.

As Henry points out: "Financial and practical planning is as important as thinking about the care we want to receive, making a will, lasting power of attorney, or our funeral plans. Talking about death won't make it happen, and getting our plans in place enables us to get on with living."