But planning for your death doesn’t mean you’re tempting fate – you’re lessening the weight of grief on your loved ones after you’re gone.
When someone dies, grief is often accompanied by a daunting list of tasks, from finding important documents and accessing accounts, to contacting government agencies and trying to plan a funeral your loved one would have wanted.
These decisions are difficult enough without the added weight of grief. You may not be able to ease your family’s loss, but by planning ahead, you can spare them some of the uncertainty.
On National Grief Awareness Day, Australians are encouraged to recognise the practical burden of grief, and what we can now to lighten it for the people we leave behind.
Start with the important documents
A current will is one of the most important things to have in place – it sets out how you want your estate and personal assets distributed. It can also include your funeral wishes and arrangements for any dependents.
Make sure it clearly names an executor to carry out your wishes and manage your estate.
It’s a good idea to seek independent legal advice when making or updating a will, particularly if your finances, family circumstances or wishes are complex.
Most importantly, tell someone you trust where the original is stored. A perfectly prepared will won’t be much help if your family has to turn the house upside down to find it.
Our guide to what you can organise before you die is a useful starting point.
Don’t forget your super
Your super may not always be distributed according to your will. A recent study by Super Consumers Australia found that at least 15.5 million Australians may not have a binding death nomination.
Ask your super fund what will happen to your super when you die, whether you have a valid beneficiary nomination and if it needs to be renewed.
It’s also worth checking if your super includes life, death or disability insurance.
Leave a map, not a mystery
Make a list of your super funds, bank accounts, insurance policies, investments and any household bills or subscriptions.
While it's important to keep your information secure, make sure your executor or a trusted person knows the list exists, and who to contact.
Don't forget to plan for your digital legacy too. Consider what you want to happen to your email, social media, cloud storage and online.
Leave clear instructions about what you'd like preserved, memorialised or closed.
Have the awkward conversations now
Talking about your own death can be uncomfortable, but it can save your family from the stress of making difficult decisions while they cope with your loss.
Talk to your loved ones about what kind of farewell you would want. Do you want a funeral, a memorial, or no service at all?
Would you like to be buried or cremated? Is there a song you’d like played, a poem you’d want read, or a tradition you’d like to be followed?
Consider how the costs will be covered and make sure your family knows about any funeral plan, insurance or money you have set aside.
If you want to be an organ and tissue donor, register your preferences through myGov, and tell your family about your decision. Even if you’re registered, they might still be asked to support your decision to donate.
You can also point your family to our Death of someone close to you checklist, which can help guide them through everything they need to do when the time comes.
Make it easier to know where to start
If you receive a payment from us, your loved ones will need to tell us within 28 days of your death.
We can update shared records across Centrelink, Medicare, Child Support and aged care, and check whether your surviving partner or family may be eligible for payments or other assistance.
Our website also has a guide explaining what to do when someone dies, including registering the death, obtaining a death certificate and finalising the estate.
It might be hard to think of your family one day needing this information, but getting your affairs in order is a final act of love your family will appreciate once you’re gone.
Having these conversations will leave your loved ones with fewer questions to answer, fewer drawers to search, and the space they’ll need to grieve.
Originally published by Yahoo Finance on 29 August 2026.