A year and a half ago FIFS Capital Advisor Group introduced Everplans®, a complimentary service for FIFS clients. Everplans® is an online service that allows you to securely, store documents; list your financial accounts, and record a wide variety of information. I wanted to set up my own account, but I kept putting it aside. This week I finally took the time to do it.
In a mere 15 minutes, my Everplans account was created, and it was very user-friendly. The first question it asked was if I already had any of these: life insurance, Last Will & Testament, Power of Attorney, or Advance Directive.
- Life Insurance. There are multiple ways a life insurance policy can be used. If a family member dies, it can help replace the lost income they would have contributed to the household. For those with debt, such as a mortgage, it can be used to repay the debt. For some, insurance is used for funeral and medical expenses after someone has died.
- Last Will & Testament. With the assistance of an attorney, create this document to state your wishes for your estate. Choose who will be the executor to ensure your wishes are carried out; select a guardian for your minor children; and state what should be done with your possessions once you are gone.
- Power of Attorney (POA). Unfortunately, due to an illness or injury, some persons are in a mental or physical condition prohibiting them from making important decisions. If this happens, who do you wish to make decisions on your behalf? An attorney can help establish a POA. Hopefully, there isn’t a need for this, but just in case, having the proper documentation lessens the burden of family and loved ones.
- Advance Directive aka Living Will. An Advance Directive is a document that states your choice for the level of medical care provided near the end of your life. An attorney can help you create this legal document.
Preparing these documents relieves the burden of tough decision making for my family and communicates my wishes. Thinking about the “what if” situations aren’t fun; but having experienced loss at a young age in my family, I know how beneficial future planning can be.
All the documents listed above can be stored in Everplans® and you choose one or more persons to have access to the information, a Deputy. To start your account, go to FIFS Capital Advisor Group.
This month I’m joining the staff at FIFS in making a deliberate effort to take care of some of the things that are easily put aside. It’s all about getting our paperwork in order. Throughout the month we will be giving updates about the steps taken; advice for planning; and options available. You are invited to join us by doing some planning of your own so that by the end of September, we can all have our financial ducks in a row.
To get started with a life insurance policy, click the ‘Request Life Quote’ button at www.fifs.com/life and we’ll provide a quote. Every person who requests a life insurance quote in September 2019, will be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card!
Karla Myers, CIC, CWCA
Operations Manager