It’s almost impossible to picture your own demise.  Some protective instinct in your mind seems to prevent a glorious technicolour movie of the event.  Most people won’t even think about it.

But almost all of us really should think about it – at least for a few moments.  A good Life Insurance policy can make all the difference to the trauma of those loved ones you leave behind.

Let me explain.

Not too long ago I had a wonderful gardener.  He was a lovely young man – a free spirit, married and father of three, full of the joys of spring.  He had a Critical Illness and Life policy which paid out once only, on the first event, as they couldn’t afford more comprehensive cover.

A year later, his wife developed breast cancer.  The policy paid up and they managed to pay off most of their mortgage and allowed them to move to a bigger house.

Hard as it was, once they had recovered from the shock, I discussed the need for them to have another policy to cover him as they were now without any insurance at all.  He purchased the same policy again and two years later, when they could afford it, his wife took out an extra Life policy to safeguard any debts.

Five years after taking out this second policy, my lovely gardener died in his sleep at the age of 47.

The benefit his widow received paid off the entire mortgage, all the household debts and still left some to help with the children’s secondary and further education.

I am not suggesting, of course, that money makes grief easier to bear.  But it does reduce worry.  And for my gardener, it was the last kindness he could do.