Tag Archives: estate planning

Jim Lamm Quoted in Forbes Article on Estate Planning for Passwords and Online Accounts

Deborah L. Jacobs wrote an article for Forbes titled “Six Ways To Store Securely The Keys To Your Online Financial Life” on February 15, 2011. Ms. Jacobs is also the author of the popular book Estate Planning Smarts. It was my … Continue reading

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Identity Fraud Dropped 28% in 2010

According to the 2011 Identity Fraud Survey Report released on February 8, 2011, by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity fraud dropped by 28% in 2010. In terms of the number of identity fraud incidents, that’s a drop of about three million … Continue reading

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Three Recent Articles on Estate Planning for Passwords, Online Accounts, and Digital Property

Here are three recent news articles discussing estate planning for passwords, online accounts, and digital property: What Happens to Your Digital Life When You Die? by Ken Strutin in The New York Law Journal on January 27, 2011; Who Keeps Your … Continue reading

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“Live” Funeral Video Broadcasting Over the Internet

On January 24, 2011, The New York Times ran an article titled “For Funerals Too Far, Mourners Gather on the Web.” Author Laura Holson reports that funeral homes and software companies are using new technologies to broadcast a video of a … Continue reading

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House Subcommittee Considers Mandatory Data Retention Rules for Internet Service Providers

One of the topics that generated several questions and additional discussion during my presentation at the 45th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning on January 12, 2011, was data retention rules for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and online accounts. For example, … Continue reading

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Data Encryption and Estate Planning for Incapacity and Death

During my presentation at the 45th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning on January 12, 2011, I mentioned that a strong password plus strong encryption can make it practically impossible to access an incapacitated or deceased person’s data if you don’t … Continue reading

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Jim Lamm Presents on Estate Planning for Passwords, Online Accounts, and Digital Property at 2011 Heckerling Institute

On Wednesday, January 12, 2011, I presented a ninety–minute seminar titled “Estate Planning 2.0: Digital Property and Tech–Savvy Clients—Time to Reboot Your Practice” with Karin C. Prangely at the 45th Annual Heckerling Institute on Estate Planning in Orlando, Florida. We … Continue reading

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Conduct a Digital Fire Drill to Identify Important or Valuable Digital Property

When I talk with people about doing estate planning for their digital property—their passwords, online accounts, computers, smartphones, and electronic data—I sometimes ask them to conduct a “digital fire drill”: If your computer is lost, stolen, or damaged today, what … Continue reading

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Article in The New York Times: “Cyberspace When You’re Dead”

On January 5, 2011, The New York Times posted “Cyberspace When You’re Dead,” by Rob Walker. It’s a well-written overview of the problems of a person’s death and leaving behind a Twitter account, Facebook account, e-mails, and video games characters … Continue reading

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Man Charged With Felony for Reading Wife’s E-Mails

A December 26, 2010, news story from the Detroit Free Press reports that a Michigan man was charged with a felony for reading his wife’s e–mails from her free Google Gmail account. He was charged under Michigan Compiled Laws § 752.795, … Continue reading

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