Case Study
My mum was living a healthy active life, what we would call “enjoying life to the full”. Although she did have some health issues, my siblings and I thought she had years before we had to deal with the possibility of her leaving us.
Her very sudden death threw us into shock and disbelief. We floundered to get our head around the fact that she was gone. On top of the shock and grief we needed to organise her funeral and manage her financial and legal affairs.
While she had a will, and kept every invoice and docket since the 1950’s it was a challenge to locate the essential information we needed to finalise her affairs. Just dealing with the utility companies was a challenge, and bank and investment information was extremely difficult and time consuming.
We eventually got through this difficult and emotional time, but it made me realise how important it is to provide our families with the practical and necessary information needed in case of emergency in one organised binder.
Why we need an Emergency Binder
A folder containing essential contacts and vital information becomes invaluable not only in the event of a death. Emergencies can arise for many reasons, an extended work assignment or holiday where you need your spouse or family to take over the finances. Unexpected events can happen at any time – a major health condition, or an accident, or a natural disaster can put us in an incapacitated state where we are unable to carry out our normal routine and everyday life responsibilities.
Whatever the reason these major life events can be unexpected and very sudden. They cause an emotional and stressful time for you or your loved ones who need to deal with handling affairs, or in worse case scenario the need to finalise your affairs in the case of death.
A little planning ahead can help reduce the additional stress of hunting for critical information, and can steer your loved ones in the right direction with your final wishes and legal and medical affairs.
Taking a bit of time to put this information together provides a solid plan for your loved ones, making known your wishes while you’re able to, prevents confusion or arguments later. There are no surprises if your intentions are made known to all.
The Result
We have designed a user friendly practical binder where you can capture and store your vital information so your family and loved ones have what they need to handle your affairs properly and without anxiety when an emergency arises.
Essential Contacts – a fillable page that includes the name, phone number, email and other contact information for your doctor, lawyer, accounts, next of kin and more.
Personal Details – a fillable page that includes your personal details, along with your spouse/partner/children/parents/siblings and more
The folder has 11 durable tabs that cover your key legal, financial, property and banking information, your will and final wishes. You can store your updated will, obviously essential, along with life insurance policies, bank account information and other investments. Personal legal documents i.e. birth and marriage certificates or divorce decrees, passport etc.
The 4 hole ringbinder means stability so you can add as many documents as required with the addition of copysafe pockets added behind each tab to hold your original signed documents without the need to put holes in them..
