For most of us, the very last thing we want in life is to give our loved ones extra worry and stress when they’re going through an emotional loss. Yet a surprising number of us end up loading both extra financial and emotional pressure onto our family members after we’re gone due to having no end of life plan in place and no provisions for our funeral. Families often find that they struggle even more to cope with their loss when they face having to make difficult decisions.

One way to make your loss more bearable for your loved ones is by creating a “Love Chest” – a place in your home which can easily be found and accessed by your loved ones after your death and which will contain all of the important information that they need to arrange matters after you’re gone.

What Is A Love Chest?

In simple terms, a Love Chest is a designated place in your home in which you can store all your key insurance documents, financial details and will information. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy – it could be a box or a drawer – but it should contain all of your plans for the end of your life, with detailed instructions so your family can easily determine your final wishes and access all the information they need to arrange the funeral that you would have wanted. Your Love Chest should obviously contain all the vital paperwork relating to your pre-paid funeral plan and your will, but it could also contain stories, personalised messages and photographs to help ease the burden on your family at such a difficult time.

Making Your Love Chest

While it takes effort and time to make your own Love Chest, it’s well worth doing it. Not only will you have the peace of mind of knowing that your loved ones will easily be able to put their hands on all the information and paperwork that they need to settle matters following your death, but you’ll also know that they have everything they need to take comfort and come to terms with their loss in the easiest possible way. You’ll be able to relax in the knowledge that your family members will find it much simpler to handle your estate planning affairs with no unnecessary disagreements, confusion or financial pressures.

A Gift For Your Family

A Love Chest is an opportunity to give a truly special gift to your loved ones. Through the photographs, letters and other treasured possessions that you leave behind, you can be sure that you’ll be remembered in the way you want and you can be happy in the knowledge that your nearest and dearest will have lasting mementos of your life. Losing a loved one is a difficult time, but your family’s grief will be easier to bear knowing that they have everything they need to celebrate your life and remember you with fond and happy memories through the things you have left behind.