If It Were Up to Me, You Wouldn't Get Paid Yet..

I’m going to share something I used to think when I was processing life insurance claims and honestly, sometimes still do.

It’s not popular. It’s not warm and fuzzy. But it comes from years of sitting across the table from grieving families facing preventable financial nightmares.

🧾 My Unpopular Opinion

An employee shouldn’t get their first paycheck until they’ve officially named a beneficiary for their company life insurance.

And maybe, just maybe, they shouldn’t get their annual raise or bonus until they’ve completed a mandatory 15-minute “Benefits Check-Up.”

Extreme? Possibly. But let me tell you what’s actually extreme.

⚠️ What’s Worse Than That

It’s processing a $100,000 policy that pays out to an ex-spouse because the beneficiary form was never updated after ten years of remarriage and three new children.

It’s explaining to a widow why her husband’s policy payout was cut in half due to an “age reduction” buried on page 37 that he never knew existed.

It’s watching a family set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral costs because the life insurance payout is delayed for months over missing paperwork or administrative errors.

From where I sat, these weren’t just administrative delays. They were human tragedies, born from inaction.

💰 Financial Responsibility Isn’t Just About Spending

We talk about financial responsibility all the time. If someone racks up debt or mismanages their money, we label them “irresponsible.”

But what about the failure to plan for the one certainty in life?

Who’s responsible for the funeral bill, the mortgage payment, the kids’ immediate needs?

Is it too harsh to say that failing to prepare for that final expense is also… irresponsible?

🕯 Why We Avoid It

I get it. Nobody wants to talk about dying. It’s uncomfortable. It feels morbid.

But avoiding it doesn’t erase the need, it just transfers the chaos and cost to the people we love most, right when they’re least equipped to handle it.

Planning for the inevitable isn’t morbid, it’s mature. It’s as necessary as filing taxes, saving for retirement, or managing debt.

🏥 Why I’m Focused on Hospitals

This deep frustration, watching families suffer because the process felt too overwhelming, is what drives the Clinical Legacy Program I’m bringing to hospitals.

Why hospitals?

Because clinical teams live on the front lines of life and death every single day. They understand the stakes better than anyone. Yet they’re also among the most time-crunched professionals, least likely to have the bandwidth to tackle this planning on their own.

💡 The Real Solution

My “no paycheck” idea is extreme, born from seeing the worst outcomes.

The real solution isn’t punishment; it’s proactive support. It’s about making this essential responsibility feel achievable, not intimidating.

When employers embed legacy and benefits planning into their wellness culture, they’re not just protecting staff financially, they’re giving them peace of mind that ripples into patient care, morale, and retention.

That’s what The Clinical Legacy Program delivers:

✅ A clear, step-by-step playbook to prevent claim nightmares

✅ A framework to understand hard-earned benefits

✅ A sense of protection that feels like relief, not another task

Because ensuring your family is protected shouldn’t be another source of stress.It should be a confirmed reality.

💬 Your Turn

What do you think? Is mandatory planning too harsh or a necessary nudge toward responsible adulthood?

Share your perspective in the comments. I’d genuinely love to hear your take.

To facing responsibilities head-on

—Sharae ✨