Reducing the difficult conversations when a loved one dies

Reducing the difficult conversations when a loved one dies

It's a full-time job to deal with the admin from a loved one's death

A survey by Life Ledger has found that dealing with the administration when someone dies is equivalent to working full time for a month.

The average person in West Norfolk has at least 11 different accounts that need to be notified and closed following their death and this process can take loved ones up to 140 hours. The accounts to be closed include services, subscriptions and bills like bank accounts, TV telephone, internet and even pet insurance. That’s the same as working full time for four weeks whilst dealing with the grief of losing someone close, arranging the funeral and all the other practical activities that need attention after someone dies.

The survey, published by Life Ledger, which offers a free national death notification service, also found that whilst the oldest generation unsurprisingly have accumulated the highest number of accounts, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are now hot on their heels.

People from the Silent Generation – aged between 74 and 91 – have an average of 14 accounts to their name whilst those in Gen Z – people aged between 18 and 22 – have already accumulated an average of 10 accounts per person. Meanwhile Millennials (23-38), GEN X (39-54), and Boomers (55-73) have an average of 12 accounts per person.

These accounts include services, subscriptions and bills like bank accounts, TV telephone, internet and even pet insurance.

“Dealing with the death of a loved one is hard, making death notifications shouldn’t be, said Tremayne Carew Pole, the founder of Life Ledger. “Up until now those dealing with the admin around a loved one’s death have had to approach each company separately to close or amend accounts, and often every company needs the same information and documents, it is a time consuming and stressful process.

“That’s why we created a service that allows the bereaved to notify banks, mortgage lenders, utility companies and any other organisation from one place.

The survey of 2,001 adults also found that whilst people with no experience of the admin around death already expect closing accounts to take a considerable amount of time, those with experience of death say that figure is 30% higher.

When asked how long they felt it would take to close an account, people surveyed with experience of death admin said 13 hours whilst those with no experience pitched it at 10 hours.

Launched at the end of 2020, Life Ledger is a free easy-to-use service helping families deal with death notifications. Founded by long-time friends Ruth Blakemore and Tremayne Carew Pole, after Ruth’s painful first-hand experience of trying to close her mother’s accounts, their initial focus was government and driving change from the top. When this delivered no results, they decided to create their own solution and Life Ledger was born. Then after Ruth stepped into an advisory role, Nicky Hector, who had watched her mum struggle with the results of her grandmother’s death, stepped out of Ocado to help lead Life Ledger from idea to reality.

For more information go to www.lifeledger.com

The Latest News in North-West Norfolk

Students' Court Success