Tag Archive for: what will

Understanding Electronic Wills [Episode 131]

Attorney-CPA Joe Cordell and co-host Jill Enders discuss the innovations and intricacies involved in electronic wills. They currently exist in the state of Florida, and given the prevalence of esignatures, this digital innovation adds convenience to the state planning process. Joe highlights how maintaining locatable documents is an essential part of the process, after a will is drafted, as well as talks about the legislative efforts involved in instituting and regulating electronic wills.

Joe breaks down the formalities of execution for wills and how it can seem unnecessarily ceremonial. He highlights how attestation will play a factor in the execution of the will and how formalities will not necessarily go away. Joe and Jill also talk about the possibility of hackers attacking these electronic wills and how necessary protection of servers is going to be with these documents.

Joe emphasizes how a will should be a component, but not the center of a comprehensive estate plan, as well as how beneficial trusts can be in an estate plan.

Then, Joe and Jill are joined by roving celebrity reporter and online editor Dan Pearce, as they discuss lead singer of The Cars, the late Ric Ocasek and the issues surrounding his estate plan.