Not only is preparing this information an incredible gift for your loved ones, you may find it helps to bring you some peace by knowing you've provided critcal information and choices for your loved ones when you've gone. Facing death is often a time of questioning the meaning of our lives and can result in new thinking and actions.
Preparing this information may help to:
One of our friendly and experienced team members can come to you, help create your LifeLot account and complete your online profile. Find out more.
End of Life Planning; the Perfect Gift For You and Your FamilyLife is full of twists and turns. Planning and gathering together all these jigsaw pieces now will relieve a lot of stress later. Whether you have a terminal illness, are involved in an accident, or embarking on the one adventure every human must eventually take into the great beyond; end of life planning helps you to become more efficient, engaged in your life and your family can easily take over if needed. LifeLot is simple to set up, free to try, and it can make a world of difference for your family if something happens to you.
Although death a certainty for every person, it is something very personal to all of us. Death can come suddenly from trauma or slowly after a long illness. The time following a death in the family is a busy one, organising the funeral, dealing with the estate, meeting other relations and friends.
However care for your body immediately after death and that which leaves, (whether you call it spirit, soul, mind or energy) is very important. It's best if some preparation can take place before this time.
It can be hard to think about what's going to happen to your body after you die, let alone donating your organs and tissue. But being an organ donor is a generous and worthwhile decision that can be a lifesaver.
After Passing: Organ and tissue donation • Funeral / Tangi / Cremation preferences • Final resting place • Significance
Pre-planning your funeral arrangements can take some of the logistical and financial stresses off of your family after your death, and ensure that you get the kind of funeral you want. While some have no problem planning their own funeral, it’s understandable if you find it too difficult or overwhelming. However, you can still let your family know a few aspects to make it much smoother for everyone involved.
Funeral Wishes: Names and contact information • Specific details and requests
Funeral cover pays the costs associated with your funeral. There are several different forms of cover available to assist you with planning for your end of life costs. Funeral cover insurance can be used to pay for the cost of the funeral alone, or it can cover additional final expenses such as outstanding medical bills, legal costs, or any other debts that you owe, such as credit card bills.
Research your options ahead of time. You can speak with independent insurance advisors, lawyers, and financial planners to get a good picture for your options and the kinds of coverage you can find in your price range. Utilising the information stored in your LifeLot account will help you to obtain the policy that fits your needs best.
How much do you know about your vision of the future? Are you able to chat openly about where you see yourselves in five years, ten years time? Many don’t! Where do you want to live, choices of jobs and future travel, and whether to work full-time or part-time, very often these issues get overlooked as we go about our busy lives. Recording these thoughts often help them become a reality in your life! Thoughts become things!
Detail your hopes and dreams in your LifeLot account and keep them alive for generations to come. Sometimes we will succeed in our efforts to make our hopes and dreams come true, and sometimes we will fail, whatever the case, always keep trying!
Keepsakes and heirlooms may be trinkets from an memorable family trip you took when you were a child. You may have military medals that belonged to your great-grandfather. You may have a journal or original photographs. Whatever the heirlooms and knick-knacks you possess, chances are you'll want to pass them on at some point.
They have a sentimental value that carries meaning, that you would like shared with your children or family. It would be sad if your family couldn’t find your heirlooms after you’re gone, or couldn’t tell what family keepsakes were important to you
Write down the keepsakes, knick-knacks, and heirlooms that are important to you in your LifeLot account. It’s a super fun exercise to reflect on items that mean a lot to you because you’re reminded of friends, families, events, and the good ol’ days.
Often it’s not the physical objects that we're attached to, it is the memory associated with the objects. There are many ways to preserve those memories even after you get rid of the objects. Dealing with keepsakes and family heirlooms can be an emotional project, but it’s a lot easier if you can separate your emotions from your things. If you can do that, guarantee it won’t be as bad as you think. Plus, you certainly don’t want to leave your family with the burden of not knowing what was/is important and the significance of an item as they come to deal with your possessions.
If you have young children or teenagers, creating lasting memories for them is important. It also has benefits for you by driving engagement through any future generations.
This can be done in a variety of ways such as preparing a photo album with family memories and stories, making a DVD, planting a tree or plant, preparing cards or letters for special occasions like graduations, 21st birthday and marriage.
Hot Tip: If you wish to leave a number of items (excluding money) to various people, prepare a separate list in My Wishes which can be held with your Will. That ways, if you sell some of the items or change your mind, you can simply send your lawyer an updated list rather than going to the expense of a new Will. Find out more.
Read more: How to Prepare for your Death, NZ Herald
There's a lot more to life these days and LifeLot acts as your very own personal database from which the information you gather and store can be retrieved quickly and presented to you in different ways. The information that is entered in My Wishes will feed into many important document templates that you can create, like an updated CV, a Will or Enduring Power of Attorney.
Why LifeLot is the solutionOften the only time you seem to think about your important documents is when you need them. And, often you can't find them because you either don't have an organised and centralised system for storing your important documents and/or the last time you needed them, you simply tossed it back into the sea of papers in your home office instead of putting it back where it belonged!
There is probably some other stuff that only sits in your head and your family would love to know. LifeLot ensures important information is passed through generations. In a medical emergency, a delegate will be able to securely access an Advance Care Plan or Will, and call upon other important documents when they're most needed.
It's simple to set up, free to try, and it can make a world of difference for your family if something happens to you.