Everyone needs a death to-do list: 25 things to arrange while you are alive

Death is the one major life event that everyone will face, yet it is often the least planned for. A 2025 Singapore Management University survey found that more than half of Singaporeans had neither discussed nor written down their final wishes.

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We live in an Asian society where death and grief are seen as taboo topics

Jeanice Cheong, a clinical psychologist at Bright Psych of Life, said death and grief remain taboo in Singapore’s Asian society. That silence can leave grieving relatives struggling with practical matters at an already difficult time. “Advance death planning can take some load off bereaved caregivers,” she said.

A death to-do list can cover a will, funeral preferences, passwords and the location of important documents. The article recommends placing key information in a document shared with someone trusted and updating it when necessary. Passwords, PINs and recovery codes should be kept separately, with the executor told how to access them.

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overwhelming

Funeral planning can include the preferred portrait and clothing, last rites, the person who will oversee the funeral, the choice of eulogist and a contact list covering relatives, close friends and an employer. Planning these details can reduce confusion, particularly when family members hold different religious beliefs.

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Advance death planning can take some load off bereaved caregivers

The checklist also turns to wills, which can protect minor children, pets and family harmony. It advises people to start with one or two tasks rather than trying to complete everything at once. The article presents the process not only as preparation for death, but also as a way to clarify personal priorities, values and relationships.

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more than one set of rites performed for the same person because the family could not agree on which was correct