What If You Died Tomorrow? How To Prepare For The Worst

In the wake of the Haiti earthquake and the Toyota recall, my wife and I are thinking more about how prepared we are for a worst-case scenario. Now that we’re becoming a family of three, I feel it’s even more important to get my ducks in a row should the worst happen.

One of the most chilling stories in recent weeks is about the crash involving a stuck accelerator on a high-end Lexus, killing a family of three. While the recall is scary for Toyota owners, the truth is that this could easily happen to any car, train, or airplane manufacturer.

The content of this post may be a little morbid, but the purpose is help you be prepared, not paranoid.

If I may be stoic for a moment – one day you will die. It’s a fact. And the better prepared you are for that eventuality, the less anxiety you will feel should you find yourself in a potentially dangerous or life-threatening situation.

Here are a few questions to consider to get you started.

Do You Have a Will?

A will is a valuable, peace-of-mind document. You shouldn’t wait until you’re older or retired to prepare a will. As you can regularly add or remove provisions, it will grow with you and your family grow. Unless you involve an attorney (and their fees), you can occasionally have some fun by following through on that threat to remove your snotty teenager from the will, but can add them back a few weeks later once they’ve learned their lesson.

Do You Have Life Insurance?

Whether provided as part of your employer’s benefits or directly from an insurance company, you should definitely consider a life insurance policy. It’s piece of mind for families, especially if you’re the sole income earner. Most employer-provided life insurance plans can pay five times your salary or more.

Do You Have A Guardian For Your Children?

What if both of you died together? In most places, the next of kin will have custody of your children. This may be a grandparent or sibling. But you have every right to name someone else as your children’s guardian. Your child’s godparents or family friends are also people to consider.

Are You An Organ Donor?

Becoming an organ donor might not sit well with you for ethical, political, or religious reasons. Even still, I urge you to consider the possibility that your death may enable several others to continue living.

Don’t Forget To Say “I Love You”

While this is something you should do on a regular basis anyway, it’s easy to forget the little things during the hectic life most of us lead. Saying “I love you” is just one example. Spend that quality time with your wife and kids every day. Hug and kiss them every night before bed. These are the kind of things I’d definitely regret not doing if I found myself in a near-death situation. Make family a priority.

Family safety isn’t just ensuring you install a car seat or drive the speed limit. Safety is also doing what you can to ensure your family is secure should the worst ever happen.

What would happen if you died tomorrow?

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