If life is a constant, long (or not so long) series of withdrawals from an account created at birth, then death marks the final entry in the ledger by that individual.

However, if there are debts that are not paid up, then someone else will have to pay them, making deposits from the finances available for their lives to that of someone long gone.

And, if the person who dies does not make his/her final decisions about how his/her assets should be clearly distributed, then those who would benefit from them will find that the deposits they should receive to help them along will not be made.

It is a matter of a lasting will be done.

"Whenever someone dies without making a will, then eventually the Administrator-General has to make the decision about how their assets will be distributed.

Enormous costs

That takes a very long time all by itself; in addition, if there is a situation where multiple partners and their children are making claims on the estate, then it not only takes longer but costs also go up," student accountant Kerron said.

Those costs are not only legal fees, but also the maintenance of assets such as a house. Or, as often happens, the cost to do major repairs when a settlement is finally made. There is also the worst-case scenario of an asset such as a motor vehicle simply rotting away as it is disputed over or the process of administration takes place.

And while the process of the distribution of assets is taking place, the costs of the dead person's dependants, such as children, mount up.

"It is especially bad when the person who dies has young children. The costs of shelter, accommodation, goods and education to carry a child through to a state of self-sufficiency are enormous," Kerron said.

People's fear

The solution is, of course, to make a will. "It is amazing, really, that we spend our lives in pursuit of comfort and luxury, yet by failing to make a will we let it go down the drain.

People fear making a will, because it acknowledges their mortality, but death will come whether we write down our wishes or not. If we look at our lives as a chain in the history of our families ,then it would help in that what we accumulate will be added to by our children," Kerron said.

"The Administrator-General makes a legal decision, not a decision to build the family."