Often surviving family members struggle with care decisions and then have to untangle the mess left behind by aging parents who die before they get their digital houses in order., say Jon Braddock, Founder
Madison, Wisconsin (PRWEB) April 13, 2016
A new planning, education and storage hub, My Life & Wishes, changes all that. Created by husband and wife team Jon and Michelle Braddock after a nearly yearlong nightmare following the passing of a parent, this new site is a simple tool to put your end-of-life house in order.
On National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16th), health care organizations around the country are encouraging adults to set aside time to talk about end-of-life health care planning. “End-of-life planning certainly does involve important decisions about care, but so much more is needed to give people and their families peace of mind,” says Jon Braddock. “The most pressing group is the Baby Boomer generation, since many are dealing with planning for aging parents, as well as for themselves. Creating an account on My Life & Wishes gives anyone you designate access to however much information you want – from care planning to placing names of the insurance and banking information to more complete information you may not even have thought about. You control the site, the content and access by family members or non-family advisors.”
Often surviving family members struggle with care decisions and then have to untangle the mess left behind by aging parents who die before they get their digital houses in order. Gone are the days of sorting through file drawers and dusty file boxes. Today, financial, insurance, even social media information is scattered among websites, locked with passwords and security questions, leaving loved ones to scramble.
In a recently conducted nationwide survey* of 1,000 people age 40+, researchers found that a majority recognized the need for end-of-life planning and the industry is finding traction as 43 percent of those who do not have a plan say they will create one in the next 3 years.
My Life & Wishes, as an online tool that the account holder manages, makes this planning accessible to everyone. “The wealthy hire experts to handle this, but it’s a luxury for the 99 percent -- basically all the rest of us— who cannot afford to pay lawyers and estate planners to do this for us. My Life & Wishes is the cost of a couple cups of coffee a month and helps anyone organize information in one place that your family can access after your passing,” says Braddock.
Account holders can add as much or as little information as they want and at their pace. “Start an account and add a few things; then when you have time, continue to add items. You don’t need to do it all at once,” he adds. The site is fully secure; tapping into the same level of security used by the online banking industry and only the account holder controls access to that information and can make changes and updates.
About My Life & Wishes
My Life & Wishes is a new website and online planning tool that simplifies a wide range of end-of-life planning considerations, including healthcare directives, funeral direction as well as last wish instructions, wills, insurance papers, banking information and all critical information needed to sort out estate settlements. The online step-by-step end-of-life planning guide, education hub and document storage site was created by long time retirement planning consultants, Jon and Michelle Braddock, after Michelle's 88-year-old father unexpectedly died leaving no end-of-life plan behind for his family. It took the family nearly a year to untangle his finances, find and access online accounts without a list of passwords, trace safety deposit box keys, bank accounts, life insurance policies, and more. This nightmare story is told at https://vimeo.com/152296272.
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*National survey information conducted by Toluna on behalf of My Life & Wishes is available by contacting Cheryl Engstrom.