Here are the things you can organise to help make your death a little bit easier for the people around you.

What is a will, and do you really need one?

Anthea McIntyre is a solicitor and director at McIntyre Legal and an accredited specialist in wills and estates.

“If your will is not drafted correctly, it can lead to unintended outcomes and be a very expensive and stressful experience for the family who are already grieving the loss of a loved one,” she says.

It is best to receive advice from a solicitor regarding your estate planning and to update your will when your circumstances change, including, for example, following marriage, divorce, commencing a new relationship or the birth of a child.

What if I don’t have any assets?

“The more complex your life is — so if you have a spouse, dependent children and so on — the more critical it is.”

Billy Amiridis says it is important to organise your finances ahead of your death. Source: Supplied / Billy Amiridis

“And also the more things that you’ve got going on, the more assets that you’ve got, it increases the importance. But regardless of your circumstances, I think there’s a benefit for everybody thinking through it,” Amiridis says.

“Firstly, it goes to parents, then siblings, and works its way down, and eventually, if you don’t have anybody, the state gets it.”

What happens to my superannuation when I die?

You need to complete a binding death benefit nomination, which is separate from a will. If you have not done a binding death benefit nomination, the super fund’s trustee and policy will determine who the money goes to.

There are legal requirements that determine who can receive your superannuation, so it is important to understand these restrictions before completing your death benefit nomination.

What happens to your debt when you die?

For example, if you leave someone a property worth $1 million, and the mortgage has $200,000 remaining, they will then become responsible for paying that mortgage.

Other types of debt, such as HECS-HELP or credit card debt, are cancelled when you die.

‘It does take a toll’

“It does take a toll on you when you have to do all this paperwork which is a lot,” Dani says.

Four-and-a-half years later, she and her father are still sorting out some of the paperwork.

“It’s not something I would have otherwise thought about, but it does make you think about what you want to do when you die.”

Should I plan my funeral?

“At a time of loss in all those myriad of feelings … you are adding layers of grief if you’re thinking ‘I don’t know what to do, we never talked about this’.”

“You can see the difference when people have that basic understanding of what someone wants.”