People, technology, important documents, pets, and "stuff" all surround us on a daily basis. I know that when I just think about my life, I can "go numb." This includes things like access codes, PIN numbers, accounts, policies, and passwords. I stop dead in my tracks whenever I consider the person who will be in charge of everything after my death. I asked myself, "What may I do NOW to make it easier for me and my loved ones?" before making the decision to begin recording my personal information. probate document preparation

Okay, now for the practical part: what exactly is "personal stuff"? To help me keep track of my life, I categorize by concentrating first on three areas: on my computer, outside of my home, and in my home. If you struggle with organization, there are resources available to assist you! The objective is for you to devise a means by which you and others can ultimately access all of your assets—digital and physical—after your death.

Let's start with the house, and more specifically, the people and animals that live there. I began by creating contact lists with each person's name, relationship, and contact information (email and phone numbers). These lists can be anything from keeping track of family and friends to including teachers, veterinarians, health care providers, pharmacy/prescription lists, business associates, and important contacts for both your personal and professional life. Then, I made lists of all the important information, including the locations of documents and policies, health directives, trust deeds, legal documents, grant deeds, outstanding loans, credit/debit card records, bank records, passports, educational records, birth/death/marriage/divorce certificates, military service records, contracts, tax records, information about car, garage, and home access, information about any open accounts, medical/dental records, insurance policies, appraisals/invento to permit instant access when required. Take some time to think of everything that your family should know. It is essential to bring these lists up to date annually in order to incorporate any brand-new information that may have surfaced during the course of the year. At the very least, you should give a copy of all the updated lists and information to your Power of Attorney and other close people. I've found that putting this information in a fireproof safe at home is helpful.

Moving on to the computer's contents next. Being online significantly simplifies our daily lives. After my dad passed away, I realized this. My life is so different from my parents', especially because I live online! In my world, account access with user ids and passwords is required for everything from banking to investments to medical records and insurance to mobile phones, tablets, computers, music, pictures, social media, websites, blogs, email, and files.

A word of caution: a will is a public document; therefore, it is not a "safe" place to store user names and passwords! As this is relatively new, check your state to see if there are laws governing the management and inheritance of online property. As I write, seven states have passed laws and eleven states have proposed laws governing the management and inheritance of online property.

It is helpful to take a look at all of your accounts that require you to sign in before you begin. You might want to go through your bookmarks or write down everything you access over the course of a year—banking, health insurance, email, business, social media, music, books, websites, passwords, and user ids—in a secure way to give you and your loved ones access when needed. Have you scanned and stored important data in a single file folder? Do you make use of apps to keep this data current? Are the "terms of service" for the accounts you use frequently checked? Who controls your accounts? I've discovered that many of my online accounts have different policies. A person's "digital assets" should be the focus of their research into the possibilities. Again, I recommend that you distribute this compiled data annually to your Power of Attorney and others close to you.

Last, what needs your attention outside of your home? What items do you keep in your office? Do you have boats, planes, ATVs, timeshares, second and third homes, rental properties, safety deposit boxes, or storage units? Who is aware of this? Do you have any specific access measures you can take right now in case of an emergency?

It has been easier for me to see these tasks through to completion by recording everything I can think of and taking a portion of my life at a time. If I take action while I'm still alive, it might make things easier for my loved ones when I die. Take action now, be brave!

I told myself, as I was writing "The Living Planner, What to Prepare NOW While You are Living," "if I may help someone, I will be grateful."

Hide Comments | Add Comment