Nothing More Certain Than Death and Taxes

As you get ready to fill out your taxes this year, it might be a good idea for you and your family to spend a little time on the other certainty of life, and spend a little time talking about preparing to die.

There are certain milestones in life when this issue comes up. It is usually after you graduate from hight school. It might be when you get married, have your first child, one of your friends or relatives dies and you go to the funeral, or when you buy life insurance for the first time. It might even be when you go to the doctor for your physical. The thought crosses your mind that everyone is going to die at some time.

You might not think that you have to come up with a plan or think about it at all because you are not going to have to deal with it. You will be gone. There is a saying in the business or finance world when things go wrong that “it wasn’t that the plan failed, it was that we failed to plan”. In this case, you know that you are going to die someday, you should have a plan.

The very least that you should have is a living will. This is an easy thing to do and you can change it later on if you change your mind or if you change your beliefs. It will ask some of the basic questions that they ask when you get a driver’s license. Do you want to be an organ donor? It will also ask if you want to be resuscitated if you are in a serious accident. You can tell others if you believe in cremation or not. Fill this out, talk to your friends and family, and file a copy with your family doctor.