As more and more of the financial world goes digital, reams of crucial financial information are stored online – often protected by a jumble of passwords known only to the user, which can leave a mess for the user's family if he dies or becomes disabled.
A new online storage platform, BestBequest.com, has partnered with the Financial Planning Association (FPA) to make storing important financial documents seamless for advisors and their clients. BestBequest will exhibit its site at the annual FPA National Conference in Seattle next month.
The platform gathers and organizes all of the clients' documents and helps to create a road map to guide them through life-changing events. For example, if the account holder dies, her documents can be accessed by assigned trustee. The trustee can be anyone that is granted permission, whether an advisor or a family member; and as much or as little information as desired can be shared with that person.
BestBequest might be an attractive way for clients to easily share information with their advisors. "I think it is imperative to have end-of-life plans and instructions in place, and having it all stored in a single remote location is a great idea," Sean Moore, a certified financial planner and founder of SMART College Funding, told ThinkAdvisor. "While I haven't used the service, the website seems easy to navigate and has a lighthearted feel."
Lauri S. Tamney, the chief development officer of BesBequest, says that the FPA has found this platform very helpful and that members have been suggesting it to many of their clients.
"Financial advisors know all too well the enormous emotional and financial costs that often occur when a family is not prepared for life-changing events. BestBequest's unique system and architecture guides you through a simple and user-friendly process for gathering and organizing your important documents, instructions, contact information, and keepsakes in a digital safe deposit box," BestBequest writes in a press release. "A roadmap for your family and clients. Safe, secure and reliable."
However, some advisors are wary of online platforms like BestBequest because of the amount of time it could take to input all the information. "Like all planning, procrastination looms large," said Larry Moskat, CFP, at RIIA Advisors. "It clearly would take an investment of time and effort on the part of the users. And many of the most probable users would be seniors, and they are not generally excited about getting into hours of time on a computer."
