"We've all got a terminal disease, it's called life" Benedict Groeschel

Death, as morbid as it may seem is guaranteed for all of us. The reality of it is, we don't know when our time is up, and before I had children, I didn't really think about it too much. But, more recently I have.

Like many at home during lockdown I started sorting out drawers and boxes that were stuffed full of paper and documents that were meant to be filed at a 'later date'. During one of these sort outs I came across my old Will; A Will I'd written when my daughter was 9 (she's just celebrated her 20^th birthday). Life and time have moved on and I'm now married with two more children.

Whilst I had some time on my hands, I scheduled a review of my will, something I had never done before. It certainly got me thinking and I came away questioning what I had in place:

• Is it enough?
• What is enough?
• What will happen if I die?
• Will my family be able to remain in the family home?
• Will my children have to move school?
• How will my husband cope being a lone parent?
• What would happen if we both died in a freak accident?

Whilst the emotional impact of a parent dying cannot be alleviated, I can put things in place that will ease the financial burden on the family if my income is taken away; and allow my husband and children to grieve in the family home without too much upheaval. While I'm here I can provide them with stability, a peace of mind, and also provide myself with some comfort. Thankfully, the stats are in my favour but for the price of a couple of coffees or a round of drinks why wouldn't I want to secure my family's future in the event I ended up a statistic?

So, to put my mind at rest I took the following steps:

• I updated my Will with a trusted solicitor.
• I took out an additional life insurance policy.
• I put money into trust for my younger two children to access when they turn 18.
• I also put some money away for their guardian to help with their upbringing, if the time comes.
• I reviewed my life and critical illness insurance to ensure it covers the mortgage amount. (Shamefully we moved a couple of years ago and didn't do anything with it!)
• I spoke to my family about being the boys' guardian, just in case my husband and I did both die at the same time.

I was largely able to sort all of the above actions myself as a Financial Adviser. However, you too can do the same. Just contact an adviser you trust and ask them for a free review of your policies, or, if you have none, ask them for help!

I'm not writing this to get an emotional reaction or to create sadness or fear. I have shared an easy step by step plan to provide peace of mind for yourself and financial stability for your children when you're not here. We need to celebrate how easy this solution can be. I am now satisfied that I'm organised and the kids and my husband will be ok, financially at least, if I am not around.