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How to Go Paperless With a Family Document Organizer | Pillar

How to Go Paperless With a Family Document Organizer | Pillar

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Eleanore

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How to Go Paperless With a Family Document Organizer

From marriage licenses to medical records, every family has important documents that they need to keep safe. Storing paper copies of these documents at home has been the go-to method for decades.

However, if you’re wondering how to organize important documents at home, you should be aware that there are some downsides to relying on paper documents. Paper documents are:

Prone to physical damage

Hard to locate in emergencies

Easy to lose

Difficult to share with loves ones

Benefits of Going Paperless

Going paperless allows you to transcend the limitations of paper documents. 

Here are three of the most important benefits of going paperless:

1

You’ll Have One Trusted Location For All of Your Documents

Every family has a growing list of important documents to keep track of, ranging from tax records to birth certificates. It’s helpful to store all of these documents in one place. This way, you’ll know exactly where they are when you need them.

Going paperless enables you to store all of your documents in one secure, easily-accessible location, known as “the cloud.” If you’re not familiar with the cloud, it’s a global network of internet servers that offers scalable storage space and has made document management easier than ever. Unlike a computer hard drive that has a set storage capacity, you can increase your cloud storage space as needed.

Most importantly, you can access the cloud and your document management system from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an internet connection. For example, if your partner gets sick while on a family vacation, you can pull up their medical records for the doctor to reference. Likewise, if you’re at your attorney’s office, you can have all of your legal paperwork ready to go at the touch of your fingertips. No matter where you are, your documents are just a few clicks away.

2

You’ll Enjoy the Added Security of the Cloud

When it comes to storing your documents in the cloud, you may have some security concerns. According to a Pillar survey, 11.4% of respondents worried about identity theft. It’s important to realize that every cloud storage service offers a different degree of security.

At Pillar, we’ve made security the foundation of our service. Our cloud storage features the following safeguards:

Bank-level AES 256-bit end-to-end encryption

Multiple layers of security

Email alerts if unusual activity is detected

When you use Pillar, you can also rest assured that we’ll never sell or share your information with third parties. All of your paperless statements, tax documents, and even credit card information is protected. No one can access your documents besides you—not even Pillar employees or government entities. With Pillar’s top-notch security, you’ll enjoy complete confidence that your documents are safe.

3

You Can Share Documents With Family Members at Any Time

Privacy is imperative, but sharing access with your loved ones is too. In fact, it’s why we started Pillar. Our founder, Michael Bloch, was inspired to create a family document organizer after his mother was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder. During this health crisis, he struggled to find her important documents when it mattered most.
‍
By going paperless with Pillar, you can make sure you never go through the same predicament. You’ll be able to access your family members’ documents with ease, whether you’re at the hospital by their side or halfway across the world. 
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If someone else in your family needs access to their documents, you can share it with them in a few simple clicks.

More Benefits of Digitizing Documents

According to our survey, over half of our respondents said that the previous three benefits of going paperless were the most important to them. 

However, these aren’t the only benefits of going paperless. Here are a few more:

4

You Can Access Documents From Your Phone or Computer

These days, we can do just about anything from our devices, including:

Grocery shopping

Depositing checks

Catching up with loved ones across the country

Calling ride-share services

Streaming the latest TV shows and movies

With everything else making its way into the digital space, there’s no reason why document storage should lag behind. Accessing your important documents should be just as easy as completing an Amazon order or checking your online bank account balance. When you store your documents on Pillar, it is.
‍
Pillar can bring your document storage to the digital age. In turn, you can enjoy the modern convenience of accessing your documents from anywhere, any time.

5

You Can Reduce Your Impact on the Environment

Did you know that 40% of the world’s commercially cut timber is used for paper production?
‍
Anytime you can cut back on your paper consumption, the planet will thank you. Shifting to a cloud-based storage system is a simple way to reduce your impact on the environment.
‍
As an added benefit, you’ll no longer have to worry about how to organize paper clutter since you won’t have any. 

6

You Can Preserve Your Documents in Case of an Emergency

Speaking of the environment, each paper document in your possession is always vulnerable to environmental threats, including:

Fires

Floods

Earthquakes

Hurricanes

Landslides

In the event of a natural disaster, your physical documents could be destroyed unexpectedly.
‍
By going paperless, you’ll always know that your most precious documents are protected from the elements, preserved in pristine condition in the cloud with Pillar’s online document management system.

7

You’ll Never Have to Worry About Losing Your Documents

Twenty-four percent of our survey respondents have requested a copy of an important document at some point in their lives. If you only have physical copies of your documents, you could find yourself in the same position. While you can always request a new birth certificate or Social Security card, the process is often tedious and time-consuming.
‍
By going paperless, losing documents will be one less thing you need to worry about. Each of your documents will be safe and sound in the cloud.

What Important Documents to Keep in Your Family Document Organizer

Now that you know the value of going paperless, you may be wondering, “what important documents should I keep in a family document organizer?” The types of paperless documents you might want to keep could be endless. 

Here are the three main types of documents you’ll want to upload:

Legal Documents

From your family’s IDs to your parents’ estate plans, legal documents are very important to store securely. Your collection of legal documents may include:

Social Security cards

Birth certificates

Advance directives

Marriage certificates

Power of attorneys

Passports

Wills

Estate plans and Trusts

Whether you’re caring for an elderly parent or seeking to implement their last wishes, it’s important to have their estate plans easily accessible and securely preserved. 

With Pillar, you can store all of these legal documents and share them with doctors, attorneys, and other family members as needed.

Medical Documents

In the event of a medical emergency, you always want to be able to access your family’s medical documents, including their:

Vaccination Records

Medication history

Doctors’ contact info

Health insurance records

Advance directives

HIPAA releases

Healthcare account information

Medical bills

At Pillar, we make it easy for you to upload and categorize all of your family’s health records after scanning. If you need to pull them up in a medical emergency, they’ll be in the cloud ready to go. In turn, you can ensure that your loved ones get the medical care they need.

Financial Documents

Whether you run a business, are planning for your retirement, or simply want to keep track of your finances, Pillar can help. 

Our family document organizer is the perfect place to store your:

Tax documents

Pay stubs

Retirement plans

Investment records

Bills

Loan paperwork

Bank information

Online banking passwords

When tax season rolls around, you’ll have everything you need all in one place, clearly categorized and labeled. 

If you need to share your financial information with a financial advisor, accountant, or family member, you can do so on Pillar in a few easy steps.

Who Needs a Family Document Organizer and Why Use One?

Everyone can benefit from having a family document organizer. No matter how old you are, your important documents deserve a safe, secure storage location. Pillar provides just that. It’s time to say goodbye to paper records and hello to a paperless workflow.

Here’s how Pillar serves different age groups:

If you’ve just had a baby, Pillar can help you keep track of your newborn’s birth certificates, vaccination records, electronic statements, and medical information. As your little one gets older, you can update their Pillar information with ease. With cloud storage, you can also increase your available storage space to meet your growing family’s needs. Best of all, your Pillar account will move seamlessly wherever life takes you and your family.

If you’re entering middle age, a family document organizer can make caretaking for your aging parents much easier. It will allow you to access their medical information in an emergency and to stay up to date on their estate plans.

If you’re in your golden years, participating in a family document organizer can make the caretaking process easier on your loved ones. You can also update your wills and trusts as needed. Best of all, you won’t need to search around your house for important documents anymore because every electronic document will be accounted for.

Why Some People Are Hesitant to Go Paperless

Despite the many benefits of going paperless, some people haven’t made the shift yet. 
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Here are their reasons, according to our survey:

They prefer to keep track of their documents themselves

They don’t think it’s necessary to organize their documents

They don’t think they need a family document organizer

They’re afraid of identity theft

Why You Should Use a Family Document Organizer

If you prefer to keep track of your documents yourself, it’s important to realize that a family document organizer allows you to do just that—just with improved accessibility, security, and shareability. The paperless process is easy.

Others shy away from using a family document organizer due to security concerns. As you now know, Pillar goes above and beyond to keep your information safe. Our cloud storage is arguably much safer than your current storage location.

Lastly, even if you don’t think organizing your documents is necessary now, you may it in a stressful situation. Getting your documents in order now can save you and your loved ones a lot of stress and hassle in the future.

How to Store Family History Documents Safely

If you’re wondering how to organize important family documents optimally, using a family document organizer is the clear choice. Despite this, only 6.5% of our survey respondents said that they’ve digitized their documents and store them online. The rest of our survey respondents said that they currently store their documents:

in a home safe

In a safe deposit box

In a folder

In several different locations

Thirty percent of these respondents also reported that their documents are not easily accessible. Since over half of the respondents said that they need to look for documents at least once a year, this inaccessibility poses a real problem. 

By upgrading your document storage with a family document organizer, you can prevent these problems for your family once and for all.

How to Organize Your Family Documents With Pillar

If you’re ready to simplify your document storage, consider joining the 6.5% of people who are already using an online storage solution. 

If you’re wondering how to go paperless with Pillar, just follow these simple steps:

1

Set up a Pillar profile for you or a loved one

Setting up a Pillar profile is easy. All you have to do is add your email, and we’ll walk you through the rest of the process step-by-step.

2

Add your documents

Once your Pillar profile is set up, you can start uploading your documents. To do so, simply take a photo of them with your smartphone or scan them to your computer. After that, you can send them directly to your Pillar account via text or email.

3

Organize your documents

If you’re wondering how to organize digital documents, don’t worry. It’s very easy to do on Pillar. We’ve even created categorized document checklists to help you organize your documents and ensure that you upload all the ones you need.

4

Invite your family and loved ones to collaborate

Once your Pillar account is ready to go, you can start inviting family members and loved ones to collaborate. Pillar allows you to create an unlimited number of plans for different family members. All you have to do is send them an invitation via email.

As you can see, using Pillar is easy. Now that you know how to store important documents with a family document organizer, you can upgrade your system and take advantage of all the benefits of going paperless. Most importantly, your family can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with having shareable, secure documents at the touch of their fingertips.

The Ultimate Guide To Estate Planning In The Digital Age

The Ultimate Guide To Estate Planning In The Digital Age

December 24, 2020December 24, 2020 Eleanore

What would happen to everything you own if you were to pass away tomorrow? Do any of your family members or loved ones know where your online passwords are for everything? Do they have access to your Facebook account or to your bank account? Or would they be left […]

Click here to view full article

Keeping Up from the Kasket – Planning Your Digital Death

Is Your Digital Legacy Up for Grabs?

August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 Eleanore

Ten years ago, I’d never have thought about writing about digital legacy planning. But when I think about my digital assets (photos, documents, music, blogs, business records, etc.) and my digital accounts (emails, bank accounts, subscriptions, etc.), I know I’ll want to provide for someone to handle them (1) […]

Click here to view full article

Easily and securely list your assets Assign beneficiaries to them Ensure they will be informed if something happens with you ​

Easily and securely list your assets Assign beneficiaries to them Ensure they will be informed if something happens with you ​

August 10, 2020December 4, 2020 Eleanore

Click here to view original web page at Easily and securely list your assets Assign beneficiaries to them Ensure they will be informed if something happens with you ​

You can easily add assets at “Your Assets” page.

You have a list of predefined asset types, e.g. bank account, company stocks, life insurance and etc., from which you can choose. You can also add custom asset types, to fit your specific use case.

We don’t ask for any confidential information like number of bank account, number of stock options, secret keys or any confidential or sensitive information – the service doesn’t require such information.

You enter only the minimum high-level information about the assets (e.g. “Savings account in Credit Suisse”), as well as some description and notes for the beneficiaries , which will allow them to identify that asset.

For each asset you have entered, you can assign one or more beneficiaries. These are the people that will be informed about the associated asset, if something happens with you.

The beneficiaries will be informed ONLY about the assets which they are assigned to.

Trustees are people that you know well and can trust, who are familiar with the asset type and can further support the beneficiaries in claiming their ownership.

You can assign trustees for each of your assets.

Your beneficiaries might not be proficient with the type of assets assigned to them, e.g. elderly people or children. For that purpose, we recommend that you assign trustees for each of your assets. If something happens with you, they can help the beneficiaries claim their rightful ownership of the assigned assets.

To further help your beneficiaries claim their ownership, DGLegacy offers you the optional legal package.

With the legal package, in a case of unforeseen event, a renewed law company will engage with the beneficiaries to guide and help them in the process of claiming and getting ownership of their assets, throughout the whole process – from the notification, till the actual ownership.

The emergency protocol is a procedure which ensures that the beneficiaries will be informed about the assets assigned to them, if something happens with the user.

It is a safe procedure which also aims to eliminate false notifications to the beneficiaries at any cost. This is implemented through multistep process, described below. Part of the process includes confirmation with the user through a phone call from a dedicated assistant.

  • Step 1: The user receives regular e-mail with a link to confirm everything is OK.
  • Step 2: If the user doesn’t confirm OK status, there is a series of reminder e-mails, sent at configurable intervals, at both the primary and the secondary e-mail of the user.
  • Step 3: If the user doesn’t confirm OK status to any of the reminder e-mails, a representative from DGLegacy will also try to connect with the user via phone.
  • Step 4: Upon successful confirmation that the user is OK (e-mail or phone), the protocol is reset for the next period.
  • Step 5: If there is no confirmation again and the DGLegacy representative cannot get in touch with the user on the phone*, notifications to the beneficiaries and trustees are triggered.
  • Step 6: In all of the paid versions of the product, dedicated representative from DGLegacy will contact all beneficiaries and trustees on the phone, to ensure that they are informed about the assets per the preferences of the user.
  • Step 7: For users with selected Legal Package, a representative from a law firm will get in touch with each of the beneficiaries, to help and guide them in the process of claiming ownership.

* phone call confirmation of OK status with the user, in addition to the e-mail confirmation, is performed only in the paid versions. In the free version, only e-mail confirmation is performed.

Being assigned as a beneficiary means that other person has been explicitly pointed you to be notified as a heir of certain assets, if something happens with that other person.

As a beneficiary, you will be able to see these assets in the “Assets to Receive” page.

The page contains all the assets for which you are assigned as a beneficiary, their type and relevant information

8 Documents That Are Essential to Planning Your Estate

8 Documents That Are Essential to Planning Your Estate

May 16, 2020May 16, 2020 Eleanore

8 Documents That Are Essential to Planning Your Estate

Click here to view original web page at 8 Documents That Are Essential to Planning Your Estate

If you want loved ones to remember you fondly, tackle your estate-planning tasks. Your heirs will thank you for not leaving a legal mess to sort out.

Many of us want to get going on this planning, but don’t know where to start. Here’s what you should know about eight documents that can help you get your affairs in order.

If that sounds like a lot of paperwork, don’t worry: You probably won’t need every document. And if you’re wondering where to find the documents you do need, not to worry: Just head to our partner Rocket Lawyer, where you’ll find everything you need cheap.

1. Last will and testament

A will gives you the power to decide what is in the best interests of your children and pets after you’re gone. It also can help you determine what will happen to possessions with financial or sentimental value. It typically names an executor — someone who will be in charge of following your directions. Finally, you can include any funeral provisions.

Use your will to name guardians for those under your care, including minor children and pets. Designate any assets you are leaving for their care.

If you’re married, your spouse needs a separate will, AARP says.

In the absence of a will, a probate court will name an executor — typically a spouse or grown child — for your estate. Probate proceedings are a matter of public record. So keep private information — passwords, for example — out of your will, as that information could become part of a public document.

2. Revocable living trust

A living trust is another tool for passing assets to heirs while avoiding potentially expensive and time-consuming probate court proceedings.

You name a trustee — perhaps a spouse, family member or attorney — to manage your property. Unlike a will, a trust can be used to distribute property now or after your death.

If you have substantial property or wealth, a trust can provide tax savings.

ElderLawAnswers further explains the differences between trusts and wills. Creating a trust is not a do-it-yourself project. Get an attorney’s help.

3. Beneficiary designations

When you purchase life insurance or open a retirement plan or bank account, you’re often asked to name a beneficiary, which is the person you want to inherit the proceeds when you die. These designations are powerful, and they take precedence over instructions in a will.

Keep beneficiary designation papers with your estate-planning documents. Review and update them as your life changes.

4. Durable power of attorney

This document allows you to choose someone to act on your behalf, financially and legally, in the event that you can’t make decisions.

Don’t put off this chore. You must be legally competent to assign this role to someone. Older people worried about relinquishing control sometimes put off the task until they are no longer legally competent to do it.

5. Health care power of attorney and living will

To ensure that someone can make medical decisions for you in the event you become incapacitated, establish a health care power of attorney — also called a durable health care power of attorney. This is different from the previously mentioned durable power of attorney for financial and legal affairs.

A living will lets you explain in advance of your death what types of care you do and do not want, in case you can’t communicate that in the future. It’s strictly a place to spell out your health care preferences and has no relation to a conventional will or living trust, which deals with property.

“You can use your living will to say as much or as little as you wish about the kind of health care you want to receive,” says legal site Nolo in a detailed article.

6. Provision for digital assets

Decide what to do with your digital assets, including your computer hard drive, digital photos, information stored in the cloud, and online accounts such as Facebook, Yahoo, Google and Twitter. Be sure to include a list of your passwords.

“What Happens to Your Email and Social Media After You Die?” explains how to make these decisions.

7. Letter of intent

For instructions, requests and important personal or financial information that don’t belong in your will, write a letter. Use it to convey your wishes for things you hope will be done. For example, you may have detailed instructions about how you want your funeral or memorial service to be performed.

No attorney is needed. The letter won’t carry the legal weight of a will.

8. List of important documents

Make certain your family knows where to find everything you’ve prepared. Make a list of documents, including where each is stored. Include papers for:

  • Life insurance policies
  • Annuities
  • Pension or retirement accounts
  • Bank accounts
  • Divorce records
  • Birth and adoption certificates
  • Real estate deeds
  • Stocks, bonds and mutual funds

Another item helpful for your heirs is a list of bills and accounts, including contact information and account numbers for each, so your representative can settle and close these accounts.

Let us know what estate planning experience or tips you have by commenting below or on our Facebook page. And remember to head to our partner Rocket Lawyer. They’ve got everything you need.

Disclosure: The information you read here is always objective. However, we sometimes receive compensation when you click links within our stories.

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