Just 6% of people in Yorkshire and the Humber are on top of their life admin – the rest are winging it
A new survey has revealed that 94% of people in the region are in the grips of paperwork pandemonium with missed deadlines, lost documents and rising stress levels taking their toll.
The research, carried out by digital life admin platform SafeKeep has revealed that only 6% of adults in Yorkshire and the Humber have all their important documents stored in one place, and 20% have missed a renewal or expiry deadline for insurance, passports or out of date policies.
What’s more, 26% said it would take between three and 10 hours to locate all their key documents and just 2% could pull everything together in under 30 minutes.
And the mess doesn’t end there.
Almost 33% of adults with living parents wouldn’t know where to find all their loved ones’ key documents in the event of their death with 45% admitting they don’t even have the location of mum and dad’s will.
Andrew Byres, Managing Director of SafeKeep, a smart, digital filing cabinet that allows you to securely store, organise and manage your most important documents, said: “The results paint a sobering picture of how modern life - filled with endless paperwork, passwords, and deadlines – is leaving many of us overwhelmed and unprepared.
“From passwords and pensions to wills and insurance, our lives are more complex than ever - but shockingly most of us are winging it, relying on a mixture of kitchen drawers, email inboxes and paperwork piles to try to keep things in check.
“This makes life admin stressful, time-consuming and can be costly when you miss renewal date or lose key paperwork.
“On top of this, when you die, this chaos is inevitably passed on – making death admin challenging and more stressful than it should be.”
Nationally, the survey of 2,000 UK adults found that more than half of those who feel overwhelmed with life admin say they’re “totally disorganised”, with many admitting it’s affecting their ability to stay on top of everyday essentials and fearful of leaving their loved ones in confusion if the worst were to happen.
Of those surveyed in the UK, 45% of adults have had to sort out someone else’s affairs after their death with 60% saying the process was made harder because it was difficult to find the person's important documents. Almost 69% said death admin made the grief harder.
Andrew said: “This is where SafeKeep can step in, designed to bring calm to the chaos, helping users securely store, organise and share essential life documents - from medical records to mortgage papers - all in one place. The service also allows you to designate trusted Legacy Contacts in case of emergency or death.”
SafeKeep allows you to store your most important documents in one secure, structured space, with folders, tags, and a smart search making it easy to find what you need, when you need it. It also boasts smart features to notify you when a document is going to expire or when a policy needs renewing.
Legacy Contacts makes sure the right people can find the right documents at the right time and lets you decide what’s shared, when, and with whom - so nothing is left unclear when it matters most.
Legacy Contacts can also access videos, photographs, messages and memories that you want to share after your death, ensuring your voice lives on for those you love.
For more information visit mysafekeep.com