Dear Raider, I’ve decided to get my estate planning documents in order, but I want to talk to my family first. Estate planning isn’t an easy topic to broach. Do you have any suggestions for how I can bring it up and what we should discuss? Thanks for your help! Khan Versashun — Dear Khan, […]
How Docubank is Protecting Our Clients During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dear Magic, I read Mr. Farr’s recent article about the importance of estate planning and incapacity planning during the Coronavirus pandemic. I’m convinced that it’s certainly wise to do my planning now. One thing I’m concerned about, however, is how the hospital and my loved ones would access my documents should the need arise. Do […]
When Safe Deposit Boxes Aren’t Even Safe
Q. I read an interesting article about safe deposit boxes in the New York Times recently. It is focused on a man who had a valuable watch collection stored in a safe deposit box managed by Wells Fargo, possibly worth millions, who was hoping to auction it off to fund his retirement. Wells Fargo evicted […]
A New Docubank Feature — My Medical Snapshot
Dear Bebe, I carry around my DocuBank Card, and love the peace of mind of having it in my wallet. I have one concern, however. What if I was too incapacitated and in the emergency room. How would doctors know about my medical history, including the specialists I go to and the medications I take? […]
Making Health Care Decisions for Someone Else
A lifelong family friend asked Jane if she would be her health care agent under an Advance Medical Directive (AMD) she was planning to sign. Jane didn’t know what to say or think, so she said, “Sure. I would be happy to.” But she didn’t really know what she was getting herself into. When someone […]
Do New Electronic Medical Record Systems Make It Difficult to Access Advance Directives?
Q. I have heard several horror stories about Advance Directives being unavailable when needed, as more hospitals are implementing new systems to store and access electronic medical records. Or, in other cases, patients’ documents are being rendered unreadable by incompatible software. What if a patient’s doctor uses one record system and the emergency room another? […]
Tom Brokaw Doesn’t Know Where His Living Will Is. Do You Know Where Yours Is?
Tom Brokaw and his daughter Jennifer appeared at the TEDx Stanford conference, speaking on the subject of end-of-life health care options. Brokaw began the dialogue, framed as a conversation between father and daughter, by asking the audience to ponder the reason to have such conversations. He shocked the audience by admitting that “unfortunately, I don’t […]
Are Your Critical Documents Safe?
In case of a fire or an immediate evacuation order, could you quickly find all of your important documents? If you’re like most people, your birth certificate, marriage license, insurance papers, mortgage and retirement fund information are in several different places. Not only could this cause problems for you in an emergency, if they are […]