What is the BofD? It's the old briefcase in the back of your grandfather’s closet with his will from 1995 and his handwritten notes on who gets what. He told your grandmother about it when he stored it in the back of the closet, but she’s since forgotten about it. Or passed away before your granddad. Or given it away when she donated the briefcase to the thrift store because she didn’t notice the slim document tucked in the back compartment.

Now the kids and grandkids are looking for the will, but where is it? It isn’t in the file cabinet, you got a court order to open the safe deposit box, you even checked the freezer, but no one can find it. Sadly, no one knew which lawyer granddad went to. So now all the thought, time, and money your granddad spent in getting his last wishes down on paper were wasted effort. 

GuardMyWill.com takes the stress out of ensuring your family and loved ones know your final wishes. It is a secure place to store electronic copies of your will and/or trust, as well as a myriad of other financial information. You simply set up an account with GuardMyWill.com and enter certain information and start uploading important documents. We guide you through the process to help ensure you have as complete as possible records, including information on where the original will or trust is stored. As a part of this service, you also set up user accounts for those you want to have access to your records. You control the data of what your friends and family see with 2 levels of access in addition to your administrative access. You can designate up to 10 people as your Generals or your Lieutenants. Generals can see everything you’ve entered into the Guard My Will program and vault. Lieutenants can only see limited information in the program until you either upgrade them to Generals or you have passed away and want to ensure that everyone is aware of your final wishes so that this transparency will ease the process for those left behind, both executors of will, trustees of trusts, and beneficiaries.  

We’ve all heard the horror stories of greedy people trying to circumvent the wishes expressed in a will or trust. The reasons are many and varied. It might be greed for money. It might be greed for memories and not wanting to share. It might even be disapproval of the decedent or beneficiaries lifestyle. Or misplaced feelings of entitlement.  

In one case, I know of a brother who didn’t receive some memorabilia and a guitar from his sister after she passed away. She told him she was leaving him her old diaries and a guitar from when they were kids. She said she had a will. But, when she passed away, her husband said she revoked the will. No evidence was provided, but there was little the brother could do. He had nothing in writing he could bring to court. In another case, a man with a decades-long relationship with his same sex partner was unable to find the will, didn’t recall the attorney that had drafted it, and was asked to leave his home by his deceased partner’s niece 1 week after his partner's death. People are not always as kind as one would like. In that case, the niece refused to allow him to take anything but his clothes unless he had a purchase receipt. It was tragic. His partner died unexpectedly and within a week he was homeless with only his clothes, his car, and a profound sense of shock. Don’t let that happen to anyone you love.