Thursday, November 22, 2012

Familial Legal Issues To Think About In The Computer Age

By Bryant S. Cole


At some point we all get to the point where we need to address our own personal future planning. There are a few things that you can do for yourself and for your family that can make life easier on down the road.

1-Medical planning for the future: If you've visited your doctor recently, you may have been told to fill out some legally binding paperwork. An advanced medical directive is one of the things that is typically included in this paperwork, and it specifies how you wish to be treated if you become incapacitated. Although each state may have a different law regarding this on the books, federal law states that Medicare and Medicaid patients must identify an advanced medical care directive prior to admission to a medical facility. Many of these details can be stated in a living will.

2-The last will and the testament: A will can be in the form of a simple document that states how you wish to have your assets and belongings split up when you pass away. Assets can be anything from a house to family keepsake items to pieces of jewelry or pictures. A will can vary from state to state in terms of the rules about how it is viewed and implemented into a family. Typically you have to be at least 18 and mentally capable to have a will.

3-The executor: You will need to choose someone to take charge of your estate after you die. This should be someone that you can trust to do as you have stated. The person that you choose needs to be able to handle the responsibility as well as possible pressure from other relatives. Depending on the estate, this can be a demanding job, so picking someone that can handle it as well as one that gets along well with the other family members is helpful.

4-An online executor: An online executor is a newer title given to individuals who handle the online aspects of a deceased person's online accounts. This includes getting access to the person's Facebook and other social media accounts as well as e-mail accounts. To help, create a list of all of your online accounts and be sure to include the log-in and password information for each of them. You can also specify if you want your accounts deleted or handled in some other way.

5-Online storage of documents and data: These days, everyone should have some kind of online storage set up to protect their important files and data. It's a convenient way to keep all of your important documents and files secure and accessible at the same time. By saving copies of your living will, birth certificate, marriage license, and other important papers on a secure storage server, you'll have immediate access to them. You can also grant others access to them in case they need access for some reason.




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