S.O.S. Are You ready? - End Of Life Preparation Checklist

Written by

Brea Wirta

Published on

14, July 2025

S.O.S.

Are you ready?

The plane is going down. The ship is sinking. The house is burning to the ground. The doors close one last time. Decisions must be made. Are you ready?

The answer is most likely "absolutely not", with a touch, " I don't want to talk about it".

Well, buckle up, cause we're going to talk about it. Listening ears on, eyes up here, this might be a little uncomfortable, push out of your comfort zone. It's important.

You can plan a date night, a baby shower, or a wedding... You can prepare for the end of civilization... no, you don't need to buy out all the toilet paper at the grocery store and panic-buy your favorite flavor of Pop-Tarts. However, nothing is stopping you from planning for a time when you no longer exist. Let's address the elephant (or urn, in this case) in the room.

This is our emergency checklist for the afterlife... or underworld, whatever you prefer. How do you?

End Of Life Preparation Checklist

1. Create a Will

The rare stamp collection of model trains goes to...

Clearly state how your assets and belongings will be distributed. Yes, let's not play the guessing game of who gets the record collection or family heirlooms.

Include the care of any minor or dependent children. Yes, your pets count too..

Keep it updated, as separations, divorces, deaths, and common-law relationships can occur. No one wants the sudden surprise of a first wife that no one knew about.

A basic Will is fine. A Will is better than no Will. What is even better is having a digital will and testament.

2. Appoint a Power of Attorney for both Financial and Personal care.

Documents can be found easily and for free at the Advance Care Planning Ontario website.

Designate someone you trust to make financial and legal decisions when you are no longer capable.

Ensure that the person you choose is comfortable making those decisions on your behalf when the time comes. Conflicts happen in emotion-fueled circumstances. Knowing that your values, choices, and wishes are being upheld matters.

3. Advanced Care Directive

Quality of life vs. quantity of life. Think about it...

Life is valuable. Unless we find a cure for mortality, we will all face it at some point. The amount of time we have left is not always within our control. Choices are not always easy, and plans can often change with circumstance.

Having an advanced care directive or healthcare proxy is one of the most important aspects of end-of-life planning. Trusting someone to make critical decisions for your best interest, while you are still living, but incapacitated, is not an easy task.

Following decisions made while healthy and able can be challenging for loved ones to follow through on when emotions run high or family conflicts arise.

Healthcare wishes can be tricky; information can be confusing and complicated to navigate. Knowing your health and your values, when it comes down to it, helps your loved ones follow your lead.

Specify your healthcare wishes and choose someone to make medical decisions on your behalf if you're incapacitated. Having end of life planning will make it easier in the long term. Talking about it will not kill you!

4. Organize important documents

The money is under the mattress, the documents under the creaky floorboard.

Let's spend less time making your family go on a grief-fueled scavenger hunt for documents. Reminder: Birth and Death certificates are required to access information and close or view accounts after you pass away.

Keep your family secrets safe. Store your secret diary filled with family scandals, your sister's three-month marriage in Vegas, or that family tree that may or may not look like a wreath, your IDs, property deeds, insurance info, and financial records in one accessible and secure location.

E.X.I.T. Life. Ready. Helps you digitally store all important documents safely and securely—evenprecious stories.

5. Incorrect password - digital assets

It's all fun and games until someone forgets the Netflix password... again.

Make a list of all digital records and documents.

Include passwords, social media, subscriptions, and digital files. Appoint a digital executor; this role is becoming more and more critical as we move to a digital world. Therefore, having a digital executor app or digital vault is so helpful.

6. Beneficiaries

The game of Guess Who, but it's Who Gets What.

Keep your policies active. Make sure all investments and insurance policies are up to date. Funerals are expensive, and you deserve a pleasant urn. Legacy planning is one of the more important aspects of end of life perorations.

Write down the most trivial things. Trust me, someone's going to argue about who gets Grandma's cookbook (unless you can't cook) or that creepy doll that's been passed down for generations. Afterlife recipes are common memories that are passed down.

Consider downsizing; we already don't know what to do with our stuff. The precious moments figurines you collected from childhood, or participation trophies collecting dust from our short-lived time playing baseball, don't need to be shoved into the attic for the next 50 years.

7. Funeral, Memorial, Celebration of Life

Choose Your Adventure.

Write down your preferences. We don't mean your bad taste in music or questionable taste in relationships; we suggest your funeral.

Do you want to be buried, cremated, turned into a tree, set off like fireworks, sunk deep in Lake Superior while Celine Dion softly plays in the background? The list is endless these days. Thank you, Google.

You can choose the things that matter most to you while preparing your family and loved ones, making fewer decisions when the time comes.

So, pick your obituary photo, perhaps the early 90s headshot with a feather boa, that someone may or may not have ready to go, when you are.

Choose your Adventure. You lived one already.

Most funeral homes offer prepaid services that allow you to plan and pay for them ahead of time. Your loss will already be difficult. Help lighten the load with digital death planner app, such as EXIT Life Ready.

8. Use Your Words. Communicate your plans.

Speak openly about your wishes, values, and choices. Please discuss your options with your family, friends, or executor so they understand your wishes and can support you accordingly. Know where to find your documents. Avoid any extra confusion and conflict. Having hard conversations can be tough, and thinking about your mortality can carry anxiety. Avoiding the conversations altogether brings more harm than healing. An open dialogue leaves room for questions, for conversation, for storytelling. Your legacy is what you leave behind.

9. Regularly scheduled Maintenance

Just like your car, your yard, and your hair and nails, every girl or guy needs a little housekeeping to keep everything running smoothly, just like those 1980s commercials asking if you know where your kids are when the streetlights come on.

Revisit your plans every few years. Make changes when necessary. Reassess after significant life events like births, deaths, marriages, or divorces.

Things are constantly changing and evolving, so should your plans. Adjust when needed. Therefore having an exit strategy app can help you keep it all up to date!

10. Go Digital

We are in the digital era. Very quickly, we are moving an increasing number of services online. Information is readily at our fingertips.

Digital toolboxes, such as EXIT Life Ready, can simplify the process. Helping you organize documents, we provide an all-in-one digital vault for storing vital information and personal records. Similar to how a grocery store has a pharmacy and an optometrist.

We also offer designated access to your substitute decision maker at your discretion. Making it the ultimate end of life planning app.

What are you waiting for?

Get started now.

Exitlifeready.ca

( available on all app stores)