Planning for the end of your life or your incapacity is important.
Through estate planning involves drafting documents, sure, that’s a given, but in order to really be effective, you need to look at the practical aspects of daily life as well.
For instance, you may have a really good will with a well-thought out plan. You may have saved money and taken good care of your property. Maybe you have excellent health insurance and take good care of yourself. You have a power of attorney for health care, and even a power of attorney for day-to-day business decisions.
But… can the person/ people who are designated to step in find what they need to do what they need to do?
Now days, it is common for people to pay all of their bills online. Maybe there are no “files” in your home that would allow someone to step in and write checks for the mortgage, utilities, and other monthly bills. If your loved one or business partner is busy worrying about you, visiting you in the hospital and trying to keep up with other duties, do you really want them to have to try to figure out who your providers are for your utilities and what your online passwords are?
Therefore, as part of your plan, make sure that the person who needs to act for you will be able to do so quickly and efficiently by understanding what needs to be done and where to go to do it.
There is a bit of extra planning involved, but the positive aspect of this is that now bills can be paid without running all over town.
Using technology to make your life easier is a good thing.
And for help from technology in regards to your will, you can also scan the will and save a pdf of it on your computer, and/or send it to the person(s) who you would like to have a current copy.
In addition, you might also want to take digital photos of certain items that are being handed down in your will and leave the photos with your will to help guide your executor in distribution, especially if they are family heirlooms.
The digital age has enhanced our lives, and technology can be incorporated to make our lives easier on a day-to-day basis if we are willing to look at new ways of doing things.
