We all can agree that the technology boom and easy access to the Internet has dramatically changed the way we live. The days of video calls are now here. Chats have become an integral part of our lives by letting us use emoticons to express our feelings in informative and entertaining ways. And social media gives us the equivalent of the daily news on the lives of our friends and family.
But still we resist implementing technology improvements to our estate-planning. The simple fact that the web can make our vital documents securely available to our family twenty-four hour per day from nearly any place in the world should be reason enough to move to an electronic solution.
We would all like access to our documents whenever and wherever so let’s look at the main concerns to try to better understand digital estate planning.
1. What about the security?
Security is always a concern and it should be. Be sure to store your information where you know it will be encrypted and that the connection between your computer and any cloud service is encrypted over HTTPS. Furthermore, a good service should assure you that their programmers are well trained in defensive programming and stay continually current with the Homeland Security alerts. AfterVault does all these things.
Also, remember that storing information in email or as paper in your home is almost certainly far less secure than a well designed online service.
2. What if I miss my alert rules? Will my family suddenly have access?
We don’t just automatically open your vault on an alert rule failure. We’ll attempt to call you and we’ll require your guardian to attest via email that something has indeed happened to you and that you would wish them to have access to your vault. Plus, remember that you have full control over your alert rules, so you can set a schedule you feel most comfortable with.
3. Will your company employees have access to my documents?
No! Every document and all text in your vault is encrypted with military grade encryption. Our employees cannot access either your data or the keys needed to decrypt it.
Are you still concerned about storing your documents in secure online vaults? If so, we hope you’ll write us at info@aftervault.com. We’ll be sure your questions are answered.