It’s the start of a new school year and the feeling of fresh beginnings is in the air. It’s the perfect time to think of your whole family’s future, and what the fallout could be, should the worst happen.
Whilst most people know that future planning is important, it’s a task that’s often put off or moved down their list of priorities. And yet, the ramifications of having no plans or protection in place when you die doesn’t bear thinking about.
It’s easy to procrastinate. We’ve just passed National Fight Procrastination Day (Sep 6), a day that urges you to tackle those can-never-seem-to-get-around-to jobs.
We procrastinate for a number of reasons:
because the task we have to do feels overwhelming and we don’t know where to start
we’re afraid we may fail if we attempt the task
we can’t properly focus on the task in hand
…it can simply be a lack of energy/motivation
Maybe you just don’t think about the future, in terms of what could go wrong. Because, if you’re a fit, healthy young person with your whole future ahead of you, why would you think of your demise?
Because, when you put down roots—such as when you buy your first house—you’re gathering assets that will be bestowed to others in the event of your death…how can you make sure these assets are divided correctly?
When you start a family, your life will never be the same again for numerous reasons…one being, you now have people dependent on you. Think of how they would be cared for and provided for if you were gone—how can you ensure they have a roof over their head, an education, and the same opportunities they would have had if you were alive?
We see it all the time, families whose lives are turned upside down because the unthinkable has happened and they had no provision in place to protect their family unit. There is absolutely no guarantee that you will reach a ripe old age, unfortunately. A few days ago, it was reported that Sarah Harding of Girls Aloud died from breast cancer. She was just 39. That’s no age. Cancer kills more than 450 people in the UK every single day, and it doesn’t discriminate against the poor or wealthy, the fit or unfit, the young or the old.
The average savings pot for a man in his forties in this country is between £500 and £5000, according to NimbleFins. Given that the average funeral costs more than £4,000, this doesn’t leave much—if any—behind for your loved ones to try and carve out their future without you. So, if the worst happened, many families would struggle to even give their loved ones the average send-off, let alone how they would manage financially with one less income coming in. With you gone, they may be the only one who can do the school runs, which could further impact their earnings.
This could be just a taste of the fallout of your procrastination, with regards to arranging a funeral plan, taking out life insurance and making your will. In the event of your death, it’s your partner and children who will have to deal with the consequences—isn’t that enough motivation to finally make an appointment with Yorkshire Rose Wills and Funeral Plans? Taking out a funeral plan is not arduous, it’s simple and it’s affordable. The peace of mind you will get from such forward planning will be worth it…for all of you.
As the saying goes, yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn't guaranteed, TODAY is the day you should be living in and thinking about.
Call Rob Firth on 01226 107111 or email rob@myyorkshirerose.co.uk.