Tell Your Life Story On Proust

I have written several times about leaving your heirs the gift of the life lessons you have learned. More valuable than mere possessions the love and experience you can pass on to the next generation can now be captured and shared privately at a site named Proust.

I hope you will check it out for yourself and maybe make use of it.

Online Help for Letters of Instruction

Writing a letter of instruction is an estate planning measure I have covered before. Now there are some web based applications that promise to make the job a little easier.

• YouDeparted.com. This site isn't about social networking or sending scary messages from the grave. It's about organizing your life so if you die unexpectedly, the important details of your life can be made available to those who really need it. It's about having the ability to update your information in a timely manner as opposed to keeping everything in a safe deposit box or hidden away in a desk drawer somewhere.
• PrivateMatters.com. Keep a detailed record of your last wishes and instructions, store email messages for delivery up to a year after your death, and build a lasting memory for someone special.

Letter of Instruction

In this months issue of Money Magazine, Jean Chatzky has a good article about writing a letter of instruction to your heirs to help them sort through your affairs should you die. Jean makes the point that often heirs are unaware of where to look to find important documents or whom to contact to find information on your estate. While a letter of instruction is not a legal document, it can help your children or other heirs during a very troubling time. Some of the items Jean suggests for inclusion are:

• The location of estate planning documents (wills, trusts etc.)
• The location of financial documents (tax returns, deeds, bank statements)
• The location of Safe deposit boxes and their keys
• Life insurance policies LTC policies
• Investment accounts and contact information
• Phone numbers for accountants, attorneys, financial and insurance advisors
• Funeral home information if you have made arrangements

Some other items that come to mind:

• Information and passwords for email accounts
  
• Information and passwords on home security systems
• Information and contacts for pensions

While planning for our own deaths is never something we wish to dwell on, making life easier for our heirs is probably a common goal. Maybe looking at it in this light will make this wonderful idea easier to implement.