Best of Money Clinic: ‘Sadmin’ – the side-hustle nobody wants
Aug 20, 2024
auto_awesome
Miranda Green, an FT columnist, shares her poignant journey of managing her father's financial affairs after his passing. She describes the unexpected length and complexity of this process, filled with frustrating interactions with financial institutions. Key discussions include the emotional toll of such bureaucratic tasks and the need for improved customer service in the financial sector. Eric Leenders, from UK Finance, responds to concerns and explores how streamlined services could aid families during these challenging times.
The emotional toll of losing a loved one is exacerbated by the frustrating administrative tasks, or 'sadmin,' that follow a death.
There is a critical need for financial institutions to provide consistent and compassionate support for bereaved families navigating their loved one's affairs.
Deep dives
The Emotional Burden of Sadmin
Dealing with the loss of a loved one typically comes with profound grief, but it often brings an additional burden known as 'sadmin,' or the stressful administrative tasks that follow a death. This burden can prevent individuals from fully grieving and complicate the emotional healing process. Miranda, who experienced the death of her father, revealed how she faced overwhelming financial responsibilities and complications despite her father's seemingly uncomplicated affairs. She emphasized that the bureaucratic hurdles often interfere with the grieving process, creating another layer of stress that bereaved individuals must navigate.
Navigating Financial Bureaucracy Post-Death
The complexities of managing a deceased person's financial affairs can be daunting, as demonstrated by Miranda's experience. After her father's death, she found herself overwhelmed by a stack of paperwork, including death certificates and wills, and anticipated a straightforward process that became anything but simple. Even with essential documents in hand, Miranda encountered numerous obstacles dealing with financial institutions that added to her frustration. Her reflection on this experience highlights the need for greater clarity and support from financial companies that often operate as faceless bureaucracies during deeply personal crises.
The Inadequacy of Financial Services for Bereavement
Miranda's struggles with various financial institutions revealed a significant gap in the services provided to bereaved families. Many companies lack proper training or resources to handle calls from relatives mourning a loved one, leading to inconsistent and often unhelpful responses. Despite the existence of bereavement departments, the quality of support varies greatly depending on the representative, with many customers feeling like just another number in the system. This inconsistency emphasizes the pressing need for improved customer service protocols tailored specifically for those dealing with loss.
Lessons for Financial Preparedness and Industry Change
The experiences shared by Miranda resonate with the urgent need for individuals to proactively organize their financial affairs to ease the burdens on their loved ones after their passing. This includes simplifying financial structures and ensuring all relevant information is readily available to relatives, preventing unnecessary complications. Furthermore, there are calls for the financial industry to adopt systems akin to the public sector's 'Tell Us Once' initiative, which streamlines notifications of a death to various government departments. Such improvements could significantly reduce the stress on bereaved families and make navigating the aftermath of loss a less daunting task.
When FT columnist Miranda Green lost her father, she expected the grief to be long-lived. What she didn’t expect was that she would still be attempting to settle her father's financial affairs nearly a year later with multiple calls to banks, building societies, insurers and utility companies.
In an episode which first aired last September, Miranda tells presenter Claer Barrett about her experiences dealing with inconsiderate call handlers and poor processes in the private sector. Claer puts Miranda’s concerns to Eric Leenders, the director of personal finance at UK Finance, the trade body that represents about 300 financial services organisations. What are they doing to address the problem?
For more tips on how to organise your money, sign up to Claer's email series 'Sort Your Financial Life Out With Claer Barrett' at FT.com/moneycourse
If you would like to be a guest on a future episode of Money Clinic, email us at money@ft.com or send Claer a DM on social media — she’s @ClaerB on Instagram and TikTok.
Presented by Claer Barrett. Produced by Philippa Goodrich and Laurence Knight. Our executive producer is Manuela Saragosa. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco, with original music from Metaphor Music.