You Say You’ll Do Anything to Protect Your Family. Prove It.

7 Critical Tips to Prepare Your Family In Case Something Happens to You

We’ve all heard the old adage, “Prepare for the worst, and plan for the best.”  This statement rings in our ears and hearts loudest when it comes to protecting our family. 

As parents, we’ll do anything to ensure our families are safe and secure. But we might not always be as fully prepared as possible should hard times befall us. 

With this in mind, here are some important tips on how to prepare your family in case something happens to you.

Look Into Disability Options

Should you become injured or experience an accident, you need to know if you can qualify for disability benefits. 

This might be through your employer if you were injured on the job. Or, you may be able to obtain social security disability if you qualify. 

This type of benefit can be crucial to pay bills while you are unable to work, thus keeping your family stabilized during potentially shaky times.

Make Sure You Have the Right Insurance In Place

We might grumble over having to pay for insurance when it’s not an immediate need.

However, if we get sick or are faced with damages from a natural disaster — insurance coverage can make a huge difference in protecting and preserving the family unit. 

Check out different types of insurance you should get in case of emergency to ensure your family can remain stable if the worst happens.

Create or Update Your Last Will and Testament

This is perhaps the most overlooked contingency many parents (especially if they are young) overlook. 

While it might seem macabre to some, drawing up (or updating) a last will and testament is necessary when guaranteeing your family is provided for, and all affairs are in order should you meet an untimely end.  

Very often, parents might put off creating a will because it might seem confusing or expensive. In reality, there are many resources online that can help you DIY your own will without a lawyer, making the process more affordable.

Have a Game Plan

A last will and testament can only go so far in terms of defining instructions about what happens to your finances or assets when you pass away. 

That’s why you should create a game plan expressing your wishes and strategies for the family in the event you are unable to tell them yourself.  

Keep this document in a place where a trusted friend or family member can access it. 

To reiterate, this document should cover additional contingencies and instructions that a last will and testament doesn’t cover, such as personal wishes and desires for your family.

Make Important Documents and Passwords Accessible

If something happens to you, and your family doesn’t know how to pay the mortgage or cannot access your bank account — this could pose a lot of time-consuming and frustrating obstacles. 

For this reason, it’s important to keep all your important documents in a safe place where a trusted friend or family member can retrieve them if necessary.  

Also, consider saving all your passwords on a dedicated flash drive and keeping that in a safe place too. You can include instructions on how to access these items in the game plan (personal instructions) we mentioned earlier.

Talk to a Professional

If all of this sounds overwhelming, we understand. Preparing for unknowns can be very unsettling. It can also be confusing if you don’t know where to begin or what details to consider.  

With this in mind, think about talking to a professional. You might speak to an estate planner or an attorney that can help you organize all the details you need in order to keep your family protected.

Talk to Your Family

Opening up a conversation with your family about what they can expect if you are disabled, injured (or deceased) is essential. 

True, it’s not a discussion that most family members are eager to address, but in order for you (and your family) to have peace of mind — honest communication about this issue is necessary so your family can move forward with stability.

Conclusion

If your family is the most important thing in the world to you, then you’re likely willing to do anything to protect them and keep them safe. 

Therefore, it’s just good practice to take these steps so you can prepare for the worst, and hope for the very best future for your family.