What if 'what if?' happens?

It's not something we ever want to think about, but if the pandemic has taught us anything, it's that disaster doesn't wait until we are 'ready'. Here's what you need to have in place to prevent gruelling admin adding to the pain your loved ones navigate in the event of your death.

- ROBYN MACLARTY

Human potential expert and public speaker Nikki Bush learnt the hard way (more accurately: the hardest way) just how much of a burden a 'disorganised death' can place on loved ones. When her husband was killed in a home invasion in 2017, a time that should have been reserved for grieving with her two sons was loaded with additional trauma as she attempted to navigate the minefield of administrative hurdles that demanded resolution, repeated requests for documentation, and generally poor customer service from organisations that seemed to have no script for dealing with death.

IT'S ALL IN THE DETAILS

'When someone passes, what's left behind, beyond memories, is the paper, the policies and the money,' says Nikki. 'Wrapping up a life is an arduous, time-consuming process. An estate often takes between three to five years to resolve. If it takes any less than that, you can consider yourself lucky: it is like stepping into a bureaucratic nightmare'.

Like many of us, Nikki's husband had unfortunately not prepared for his own death. 'The utility bills for our house, for instance, were in my name, but the invoices went to him each month and he paid them out of our joint bank account. On his death, however, we couldn't find anything in his inboxes. We didn't know where those accounts were sent. He had a whole list of passwords and not one of them worked. This one seemingly small thing delayed wrapping up his estate by an extra three months while we tried to find the relevant information'.

In order to help others avoid the unnecessary stress that she experienced, Nikki - who is also the author of Future-Proof Yourself: How to win at work and life, among other books has put together a checklist of documents and information to compile and keep in one place. This 'What if' file will ensure that your nearest and dearest have everything they need to make the process as hassle-free as possible.