Practical Implications of Not Having a Will or Trust
What really happens if you rely on “the state” instead of having a will? This post walks through what actually happens, where things break down, and what your family may have to deal with.
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Selecting the Right Helper (Executor, Trustee, POA)
Choosing an executor, trustee, or POA is about more than filling in a name. The person you select will shape how everything actually plays out. Here’s how to make that decision thoughtfully and avoid common pitfalls.
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What I Learned While Validating the “Getting Your Affairs in Order” Framework
Conversations with people who had helped parents, spouses, or relatives revealed a consistent pattern: most people believe preparation is finished once legal documents are signed. This article explores what those conversations revealed and how they helped validate the Stages of Getting Your Affairs in Order framework.
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Actually Doing It #6 — Working in Passes Instead of Chapters When Building Your Vault
While building my estate-planning vault, I discovered that trying to complete the process chapter by chapter slows momentum. Missing information is normal. In this post I explain how working in passes—and tracking incomplete items with simple ToDo files—helped keep the project moving forward.
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Actually Doing It #5 – Write for the Backup Helper
Why writing for your backup helper improves estate planning clarity and removes hidden assumptions.
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Actually Doing It #4 – Don’t Retype What You Already Have
Estate planning vault setup example showing how I exported filtered contact data instead of retyping information into forms.
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Actually Doing It #3 – Recovery Is Part of the Vault
Estate planning vault setup exposed overlooked gaps in recovery planning and document access — turning assumptions into verified preparedness.
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Actually Doing It #2 – Where Do the Supporting Documents Go?
Real-world adjustments I made while organizing supporting documents inside the vault.
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Actually Doing It #1 – Choosing an Electronic Vault
Why I chose an all-electronic vault to get my affairs in order, including practical setup steps and real-world tradeoffs.