Are You Prepared For Death?

The One Sure SHTF For Everyone

We just got home from the funeral for the 28 year old brother of a close friend.  He was killed in a car wreck while living and working in another state.  He wasn't married, and all of his family was here.

That got me to thinking...  We often speak of death of a spouse as being one of the SHTF scenarios that people prepare for.  But what about death of ourselves?  Have we prepared those that we leave behind to deal with our death?  I'm not talking about life insurance, although that is important.  I'm talking about things such as documentation, financial information, asset distribution and body disposal.  If there are two of you, you need a plan A for if just you go, and a plan B for if you both go at the same time.

Documentation

Much like the thumb drive -O- plenty that I talked about last weekend for the Grab & Go kit, you should have a thumb drive with all of that same information for each spouse, and have the executor or executrix of your estates also with a copy.  A part of that should be passwords and usernames for emails, forums, and the like, along with instructions on what you want put up as a farewell.  Also include safe combinations and the locations of any hidden caches you may have.

Financial Information

You need to record all banks, accounts, passwords, etc... paper investments, precious metals (you know, making sure your nitwit cousin doesn't take your rolls of pre-65 quarters to play the slots in Atlantic City), and points of contacts to dispose of any of it. If you have any NFA weapons (full-auto, short barrel rifles and shotguns, and suppressors), I would include them in this category due to their very specific legal implications.

Asset Distribution

It's amazing how many people don't have a will.  But more so than that, it's amazing how dividing up things without a plan can tear a family or ruin friendships.  Having a will for the big picture is great, but we should also keep a list of our more minor assets and who should get them.  Little things like a favorite knife, a CD or DVD collection, that special book...  Things that you have always had in mind for a particular person.  Just make it known and record to ease the strain on your survivors.

Body Disposal

Sure, you've got the box checked for organ donation on your driver's license, but does your family know that?  In times of loss, survivors can be taken advantage of by funeral directors or newspaper writers who get paid per word in the obituary.  Prewrite your obituary.  That way you can have as much or as little in it as you want.  Do you want to be cremated, kept in an ammo can, and scattered in the wind on a hiking trail with nobody but your wife around, or do you want a bronze casket, carried in a custom Harley hearse trailer, entombed in a marble sarcophagus with a lifesized bronze statue of yourself in front of it... or something in between?  Whatever your desires, make sure they are known, and that you leave the funds to pay for it.  I've reinforced my desires with the warning that if they are not upheld, I will be back as a haunt.

I guess the main thought is that we will all die at some point.  As preppers, one of our goals should be to make our passing as easy as possible on our loved ones by being as prepared for death as we are for hurricanes, earthquakes and zombie mutant bikers.


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