Life Value Planner
The first loss is losing someone you love. Nothing can remove that loss.
The second impact can be months of administration, financial pressure, work disruption, health effects, family-time loss and relationship strain. Planning cannot eliminate grief. It can reduce unnecessary work, confusion, financial pressure and disruption.
Some costs can be measured. Some cannot. All of them deserve to be planned for.
Most of us understand that death creates emotional loss. We may also plan for funeral expenses, legal costs and immediate bills.
What we rarely calculate is everything that happens next.
How many hours will someone spend calling banks, insurers, government agencies, lawyers and service providers? How much work will they miss? How many evenings and weekends disappear? Will someone need counselling? Who watches the children while an executor meets with a lawyer? Who prepares meals, cleans the house, mows the lawn or shovels the driveway while the family handles everything else?
Let's make some of the invisible impact visible.
Above the surface
Funeral / cremation / burial · Memorial · Legal/accounting · Probate / estate administration · Travel · Immediate bills
Below the surface
Administrative time · Lost work/business capacity · Phone calls and hold times · Evenings and weekends · Counselling · Childcare · Meal preparation · House cleaning · Lawn/snow/home maintenance · Sleep disruption · Health effects · Family time · Parenting capacity · Relationship strain · Stress/isolation · Time actually available to grieve
The cheque isn't always the biggest cost.
Evidence behind the invisible burden
Where will those hours come from?
420 hours
Families reported about 420 hours completing post-loss tasks.
U.S. · Families managing post-loss tasks
Empathy — The Cost of Dying, 2022A research reference, not a prediction for your family. Executors reported about 570 hours; choosing an executor role does not change your estimate.
Those hours must come from somewhere: work, evenings, weekends, parenting, sleep, exercise, relationships, recovery or personal time.
Some costs can be measured. Some cannot. All of them deserve to be planned for.
20 hours a week
Families reported about 20 hours per week on post-loss responsibilities; financial matters took an average of 12.5 months to resolve.
U.S. · Families managing post-loss responsibilities
Empathy — The Cost of Dying, 2023Different study framing from the 2022 total; do not multiply these figures into a universal expected burden.
18 months
Executors and administrators spent about 18 months dealing with a loved one's affairs.
U.S. · Executors and administrators
Empathy — The Cost of Dying Report, 202419.5 months
Average executor responsibility lasted 19.5 months.
U.S. · Executors surveyed among 1,500 bereaved adults involved in estate settlement
Empathy — The Grief Tax, 202561%
61% of employed adults had experienced the death of a loved one while working.
U.S. · Employed adults; full survey n=2,201
New York Life Foundation — 2025 State of Grief Report, 2025U.S. costs are not Canadian averages. Direct costs, probate, estate administration and legal expenses vary materially by jurisdiction.
54%
54% took on practical or administrative responsibilities. Among that group, 42% said settling affairs took longer than expected.
Canada · 500 respondents who lost an immediate family member in the prior five years; July 31–August 11, 2026
Securian Canada / Angus Reid Forum, published by Empathy — Bereavement research, 202688%
88% reported an impact on everyday life; 71% reported at least one emotional, mental or physical effect.
Canada · 500 respondents who lost an immediate family member in the prior five years
Securian Canada / Angus Reid Forum, published by Empathy — Bereavement research, 2026
Real Impact of Loss
Research tells us what other families experienced. These questions help you explore what a similar loss could mean in your life.
This is an educational planning estimate, not a prediction.
No email required. Answers remain in this browser tab during your session. Do not enter names, credentials or private medical information.
Amounts are in CAD. Switching countries relabels your entered amounts; it does not convert them. Research retains its original geography and currency.
54%
54% took on practical or administrative responsibilities. Among that group, 42% said settling affairs took longer than expected.
Canada · 500 respondents who lost an immediate family member in the prior five years; July 31–August 11, 2026
Securian Canada / Angus Reid Forum, published by Empathy — Bereavement research, 202688%
88% reported an impact on everyday life; 71% reported at least one emotional, mental or physical effect.
Canada · 500 respondents who lost an immediate family member in the prior five years
Securian Canada / Angus Reid Forum, published by Empathy — Bereavement research, 2026Research reference — Empathy 2022 (U.S.)
50–800 on slider · You can type another amount.
420 hours
Families reported about 420 hours completing post-loss tasks.
U.S. · Families managing post-loss tasks
Empathy — The Cost of Dying, 2022A research reference, not a prediction for your family. Executors reported about 570 hours; choosing an executor role does not change your estimate.
Economic value of time—not necessarily money your family literally pays, and not a price on family life.
Planning default — adjust to your circumstances
25–500 on slider · You can type another amount.
420 hours × $50 = $21,000 economic value of time
52.5 eight-hour workdays · 10.5 full workweeks · 105 four-hour evenings · 210 two-hour blocks
CAD · Educational planning estimate
$22,200
Partial planning estimate
420 Hours
52.5 eight-hour workdays · 10.5 workweeks · 105 four-hour evenings · 210 two-hour weekday evenings
12 Months
Selected planning horizon—not a prediction
Cash expenses and the economic value of time are different. This total is not an insurance need or a bill your family will necessarily pay.
Sum of entered one-time items
420 hours × $50/hour
Not sure — no additional estimate entered
1 people × 6 sessions × $200; 0% benefits coverage
Sum of entered monthly cost × months
Sum of described consequences, excluding duplicate expenses
Total estimated measurable impact — partial estimate
$22,200 CAD
This is an educational estimate based on the assumptions you selected. It is not a prediction of what a death will cost your family.
Unanswered amounts are not known zeros; they are excluded from the subtotal.
Suggested planning allocation—not a research finding. Allocations describe the same hours; they add no extra dollars.
Work impact period: 12 months. This is a selected planning assumption, not a prediction of estate duration.
These effects are real, but assigning all of them a dollar value would create false precision.
Unedited pre-positioned values remain research references or planning defaults. Changed values are your planning estimates, not independently verified facts. Results do not change Personal, Business or Combined Life Value Planner calculations.
Planning for the people you love
Your legacy plan isn't only about where your money goes. It's also about how much work, stress, cost and disruption you leave behind for the people you love.
Financial, legal, insurance and estate documents.
Tell appropriate people where information is and what you want.
Executors, guardians and attorneys/agents thoughtfully.
Consider immediate liquidity and transition needs.
Wishes, accounts, contacts, property and digital information.
Have conversations before a crisis.
Beneficiaries, documents, insurance, ownership, contacts and plans periodically.
Preparation does not guarantee an easy process or remove grief. No percentage reduction in burden is assumed.
19.5 months
Average executor responsibility lasted 19.5 months.
U.S. · Executors surveyed among 1,500 bereaved adults involved in estate settlement
Empathy — The Grief Tax, 2025Keep access instructions secure and share appropriately. Never enter passwords, SIN/SSN, account numbers, credentials or private medical information into this calculator.
67%
67% encountered missing information; 39% could not locate documents and 28% could not access passwords or accounts.
U.S. · Respondents managing post-loss responsibilities
Empathy — The Cost of Dying Report, 2024Ask about eligibility, limits and how to access support. Employers and benefits differ by workplace and jurisdiction.
47% paid leave
63% reported time off specifically for bereavement; 47% reported paid bereavement time off.
U.S. · U.S. adults; general survey n=1,017
New York Life Foundation — 2024 State of Grief Report, 2024The funeral may be one of the easiest costs to see. The larger impact can unfold over hundreds of hours and many months—in work, family responsibilities, health, relationships and the time actually available to grieve.
Life Value Planner’s Final Expense estimate and suggested 90-Day Family Transition Fund help address the immediate financial transition. Thoughtful legacy planning may need to go further. Planning can’t eliminate grief. It can eliminate some unnecessary work, uncertainty and financial pressure surrounding it. Insurance can be one component—not the entire solution. Organized records, legacy letters, a Family Constitution, beneficiary planning and qualified professional advice may also help.
2022
~420 hours; ~13 months; direct financial and productivity costs. Source: Empathy, The Cost of Dying, 2022 (U.S.).
Read research2023
~20 hours/week; 12.5 months resolving financial matters. Source: Empathy, The Cost of Dying, 2023 (U.S.).
Read research2024
~15 months overall; ~18 months for executors; account/document complexity. Source: Empathy, The Cost of Dying Report, 2024 (U.S.).
Read research2025
19.5 months average executor responsibility; caregiving, work and family pressures. Source: Empathy, The Grief Tax, 2025 (U.S.).
Read researchThe measurable cash cost has not risen dramatically in the supplied research. What the research increasingly reveals is the hidden human cost: time, work disruption, health, administration and family impact. The reports do not use identical questions, samples or endpoints. This timeline shows how research has expanded understanding; it should not be read as proof that every measure worsened each year.
This experience combines user-selected planning assumptions with published research on bereavement, estate administration, workplace impact, family life and professional support. Research findings are identified throughout the page so you can distinguish published evidence from calculator assumptions.
Some costs can be measured. Some cannot. All of them deserve to be planned for.
This tool is provided for educational and planning purposes only. Results are based on the information and assumptions you select together with published research and planning estimates. Actual costs, time requirements and experiences vary significantly by family, estate, jurisdiction and circumstances. This tool does not provide legal, tax, medical, psychological or financial advice. Consult appropriate qualified professionals regarding your circumstances.