No kidding. I just got a call from one of my credit card banks offering me a risk life-insurance police to ensure my family’s financial health in case of my, well, accidental, early death. When I explained to the telemarketer that I’m single and that I might contact her again when there’s a family to protect she told me that even without a family of my own there are costs to consider in the event of fatal accidents – had I thought about who’s paying for my funeral? No kidding. She said that.

I’ve recently turned 31, everyone’s thinking about raising the retirement age, and an insurance salesperson, apparently without any useful support from her marketing department, is asking me whether I had already taken steps to cover the costs of my funeral because, well, and I quote – “you know what they say, nothing’s free anymore, not even death.”

What an utterly bizarre exchange.