Earthquakes in Taiwan and Turkey, a train crash in London, accidents in a Hong Kong typhoon, the plane crash that killed John F Kennedy and his wife - great or small, tragic events such as these hammer home the chilling fact that death may not be as remote as you imagine.
Focus on that for a moment and consider that a significant portion of the wealth you worked so hard to build during your life could be taken by the government in the form of estate duty, leaving your loved ones un-provided for. What a nightmare.
While natural disasters and accidents are difficult to predict and prevent, there are ways to avoid the financial costs associated with one's death.
Mrs Wong never thought she would be facing such a devastating situation by herself. Happily married for 25 years, she and her husband enjoyed their life until a month ago, when Mr Wong was in a fatal accident.
The Wongs had done fairly well over the years. Mr Wong had climbed the corporate ladder to be a senior executive for a Hong Kong conglomerate. Thanks to a booming property market in the two decades before the financial crisis, they bought a house in Tai Tam Road, and two rental properties that produced steady income.
A few days ago, Mrs Wong was advised by her lawyer that she may be subject to an estate duty of $5.85 million. She also was told that she would not be allowed to dispose of assets without passing probate. Her lawyer said the process could take more than a year, which is not unusual for probate.
To make things worse, she found she could not access their most liquid assets: a portfolio of shares worth $5 million listed in Hong Kong, because it was under Mr Wong's sole name.