When you’re thinking about protecting your, and your family’s future, it’s important to sort out other things as well as your life insurance.
You don’t need to organize it all at once, but these are things that are probably worth sorting out (and reviewing regularly) to make things easier for the family when the unexpected happens.
Here are some suggestions about things you might want to think about, and some useful sites that will give you more information:
Getting a Will
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This is a document that details who gets what when you die. It also appoints guardians if you have underage children. If you die without a will your assets get divided up according to New Zealand Law.
You can now write your own Will online and at an affordable price. And you can be confident that it covers all the bases as it’s written by lawyers, and checked by experts. Learn more by visiting myfootprint.co.nz.
Enduring Power of Attorney
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This is a document which appoints a person to act on your behalf when you aren’t able to do so for yourself eg if you are in a coma. Unlike a Will, an Enduring Power of Attorney operates while you are alive.
Protects you against unforeseen events. They can also be used temporarily, for example, if you are going overseas and want someone to manage your property or investments until your return.
Learn more at perpetualguardian.co.nz.
Financial Planning
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This helps with budgeting, retirement planning and setting your future goals. It’s about thinking about how you, and your family will cope financially in the event of your being gone or incapacitated.
- Important Document File
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It’s helpful to have a file which has copies of all insurance policies, wills etc as well as any investment certificates, passwords etc, so that if anything happens, the person you’ve appointed can reduce any burden on your family as quickly as possible. You’d be surprised how many times we have people phoning to see if a family member had an insurance policy with us – as no-one can find their records or information.
- Body and organ donation
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If you’re thinking about wanting to help someone else with their life, by donating any organs etc, then this site might be useful.
