What to Sort Out Before You Die: A Practical Checklist

Most families do not struggle after a death because there was no money or no plan. They struggle because nobody knows where anything is. The will is somewhere, the bank is one of three, the insurance policy was mentioned once at a braai, and the phone is locked. Getting ahead of that is one of the kindest things you can do, and it does not take as long as you think.

Start with the will, and make sure people can find it. A will that exists but cannot be located may as well not exist. Make sure it is current (marriage, divorce, children, and a new home all change things), signed and witnessed properly where you live, and that your executor knows who holds the original: a lawyer, a bank, or a fireproof box at home. Write down where, not just that it exists.

Choose an executor who is willing and able. The executor is the person who actually carries out the estate. Ask them first. Pick someone organised and calm, not just someone close to you, and tell your family who it is so it is not a surprise.

List every account and institution in one place. Banks, savings, investments, pensions or retirement funds, credit cards, loans, and store accounts. For each: the institution, the type of account, and the account or policy number. You do not need to write down passwords or PINs, and you should not. The aim is that your family knows where to look and who to call, not that they can log in.

Pull together your insurance. Life cover, funeral cover, medical aid or health insurance, short-term cover on the house and car. Many families find out about a policy only when a premium keeps leaving the account. Note the insurer, the policy number, and who the beneficiary is, and check the beneficiary is who you intend. A beneficiary named years ago is a common and painful mistake.

Gather the key documents. ID or passport, birth and marriage certificates, property deeds, vehicle papers, tax details, and any divorce or custody papers. Keep copies together and tell someone where. If you have assets or family in more than one country, note which country each belongs to, because the process can differ in each.

Do not forget your digital life. Email, social media, cloud photos, subscriptions, online banking, and cryptocurrency can all become locked or unrecoverable. Decide what should happen to each, and leave your family a pointer to where the access instructions are kept, such as a sealed envelope or a trusted password manager's emergency access, rather than a list of passwords in a shared note.

Say what you want, if you have wishes. Burial or cremation, a funeral or memorial, a particular song or place, who should speak. These are not legal instructions, but they spare your family from guessing at an already emotional time. If you have prepaid or have a funeral plan, say so and say where the paperwork is.

Think about who needs to be told, and in what order. A short list of the people to call first, and how to reach them, helps more than most people expect. Include your employer, your lawyer, your accountant, and anyone who depends on you.

Leave something that sounds like you. A short written or recorded message, even a few paragraphs, tells your family what the paperwork cannot. Many people find this is the part their family keeps.

Then make sure the right person can get to all of it. The hardest step is the last one: getting this information to the people who need it, at the right time, without handing everything over today. That is exactly the problem MyLegacyLivesOn was built for. You record where things are, name the people who should receive it, and it is released to them only if you stop checking in.

You do not have to finish in a weekend. Pick one item from this list today, finish it, and book the next one. A partly prepared plan is worth far more than a perfect one that never gets written.

This checklist is a planning summary, not a legal document. Bring it to a qualified estate lawyer to formalize.