My mum was a planner, an organizer up to the minute of any given day. Shortly after my dad’s death, she made a handwritten list of instructions for me, very simple, very mum-like. Who to call when she dies. Where she wants to be buried. What to do with her stuffs and how to claim her life insurance.

She made me the sole beneficiary, immediately after my dad passed, but I wasn’t made privy to what that amount might be. I thought it would be tacky to ask, so I didn’t. When I called the insurance company to begin the process of filing the claim, I found that the payout would not only cover the complete cost of his burial, but would also provide me with a remainder that I later used to buy my first home.

My mum’s careful planning not only made a tragic event a tad more manageable, but it set me up to have a sense of security in my life that I never imagined I would have.

At the time of my mum’s death, I could afford to change my children’s school fees, but not a whole lot else. If she hadn’t had life insurance, and if she hadn’t spoken directly to me about how to claim it, I don’t know what I would have done.