MacVoices #23195: Joe Kissell Takes Control of Your Digital Legacy (2)

Summary

In part two of a critical discussion with Joe Kissel on 'Mac Voices,' host Chuck Joyner delves deeper into the intricacies of managing one's digital legacy. Kissel, author of 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy,' emphasizes the importance of appointing a digital executor alongside a traditional executor to manage digital assets effectively. The conversation highlights the need for detailed planning, understanding legal implications, and addressing issues related to password management and digital inheritance. Kissel's book serves as a comprehensive guide, offering practical advice and a downloadable template for creating a digital will.

Takeaways

• 📘 Joe Kissel discusses the importance of taking control of your digital legacy, highlighting the need for everyone to address this issue sooner or later.
• 🖥️ Joe emphasizes the role of a digital executor, suggesting that this person should be technically savvy and work closely with the regular executor to manage digital assets effectively.
• 📑 It's crucial to include specific instructions in your will regarding digital assets and ensure that the digital executor understands their duties and collaborates with the regular executor.
• 🔏 Different jurisdictions have varying legal requirements for incorporating digital legacy instructions into a will, so it's important to consult with a legal professional.
• 📱 With the increasing use of mobile devices, it's essential to consider how to manage digital assets stored on these devices and instant messaging services.
• 💡 Joe warns against relying solely on third-party digital legacy services, as many have gone out of business, and suggests using them only as a backup.
• 🔐 Managing passwords securely is a critical aspect of digital legacy planning. Options include using password managers with built-in legacy features or providing clear instructions and master passwords in a secure document.
• 📝 Writing your own obituary can ensure that you are remembered in a way that reflects your true self, and this can be included in your digital legacy planning.
• 🚨 Planning for potential incapacitation is also important, as it allows loved ones to manage your affairs in case of temporary or permanent inability to do so yourself.
• 📚 Joe's book, 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy,' offers comprehensive guidelines and a downloadable template to help individuals create a thorough digital will, covering passwords, emails, photos, and more.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the conversation with Joe Kissel?

The main topic is taking control of your digital legacy, which is about managing and preparing for what will happen to your digital assets and information after your death.

Why is the concept of a 'digital executor' important?

A digital executor is important because they are responsible for managing a person's digital assets after their death. This includes handling online accounts, data transfer, and ensuring that digital wishes are carried out, which may not be within the capabilities of a traditional estate executor.

What should a digital executor be knowledgeable about?

A digital executor should be knowledgeable about dealing with various file formats, transferring large amounts of data, managing password access, and understanding the technical aspects of handling digital assets.

Why is it recommended to have a separate digital executor?

It is recommended to have a separate digital executor because they can focus specifically on the technical aspects of managing digital assets, allowing the regular executor to focus on financial and tangible matters without being overwhelmed by technical challenges.

What is the role of a regular executor in the context of digital legacy?

The regular executor is responsible for settling the estate, which includes paying taxes, settling debts, and distributing property according to the deceased's instructions. They may also need to work in conjunction with a digital executor to access digital assets.

How can someone ensure their digital executor and regular executor work together effectively?

They should have clear communication, understand each other's roles, and have a written agreement that outlines their responsibilities. It's also important to ensure that any legal requirements for their appointment are met according to local jurisdiction laws.

What are some of the changes in the digital landscape that Joe Kissel noticed since the first edition of his book?

Some changes include increased use of mobile devices, the rise of instant messaging services, the handling of passive income from digital businesses, and the emergence of passkeys as a new security measure.

What are some concerns with entrusting your digital legacy to a third-party service?

Concerns include the potential for privacy and security breaches, the longevity and reliability of the service, and the possibility that the service may not exist when the individual passes away.

Why is it important to have a plan for digital assets in case of incapacitation or temporary absence?

Having a plan ensures that loved ones or designated individuals can access necessary accounts and information to manage bills, emails, and other responsibilities in the individual's absence, maintaining the continuity of their affairs.

What is an 'auto obituary' and why is it recommended?

An auto obituary is a self-written obituary that allows the individual to represent themselves and express how they want to be remembered. It is recommended because it can provide a more personal and accurate reflection of the individual's life compared to a standard, fill-in-the-blanks obituary.

What is the best way to archive and secure passwords for heirs according to the script?

The best way is to specify in a secure digital will where the passwords are stored, such as in a password manager, and provide the master password needed to access them. It's also important to keep the document containing this information secure, such as in a safe deposit box.

What is the process for gifting the book 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy'?

Currently, the process involves buying a copy of the book while logged out of the Take Control account and then emailing it to the intended recipient. The author plans to improve this process in the future.

What is the pricing for the new edition of 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy'?

The new edition is priced at $14.99 for first-time buyers or as a gift. For those who owned the first edition, an upgrade is available for a $5 fee.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Digital Legacy Management

In this segment, the host Chuck Joyner introduces the second part of a crucial conversation with Joe Kissel about managing one's digital legacy. The discussion emphasizes the importance of planning for the control and distribution of digital assets after one's death. Joe Kissel, the author of 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy,' provides advice and highlights potential pitfalls. The host strongly encourages viewers to pay attention and acquire a copy of the book for comprehensive guidance on this significant topic.

05:01

🔐 The Role of a Digital Executor

This paragraph delves into the concept of a 'digital executor,' a role separate from the traditional executor of a will or estate. The digital executor is responsible for handling the technical aspects of settling a person's digital affairs, such as dealing with file formats, transferring data, and managing passwords. The importance of clearly defining this role and ensuring that the digital executor works in sync with the traditional executor is stressed. The segment also touches on the legal considerations and the need for a lawyer's advice when formalizing the digital executor's role.

10:02

📱 The Increasing Importance of Mobile Devices

The conversation shifts to the growing significance of mobile devices in our daily lives and the consequent need to include them in digital legacy planning. Joe Kissel discusses the changes since the first edition of his book, noting the increased use of mobile devices like iPads and the rise of instant messaging services. He also addresses the complexities of managing digital assets that generate passive income, such as online businesses or royalties from digital sales, and the importance of considering these in one's digital legacy.

15:04

💼 Navigating Digital Services and Privacy Concerns

This section of the script addresses the transient nature of digital services that promise to manage one's digital legacy. Joe Kissel warns about the risks of relying on startups that may not persist over time, emphasizing the need for a robust and enduring plan. The discussion also covers privacy and security concerns related to password management and the importance of finding a balance between keeping passwords secure while ensuring loved ones can access them when necessary.

20:05

🛑 Planning for Incapacity and Unexpected Events

The script explores the need for digital legacy planning not only for posthumous management but also for situations where one might be temporarily incapacitated or facing an unexpected event. Joe Kissel explains how the same planning strategies that ensure data availability for future generations can also assist loved ones in the immediate aftermath of an individual's death or during a period of incapacity.

25:07

✍️ Personalizing Your Digital Legacy

In this paragraph, the focus is on the personal aspect of digital legacy, including the trend of writing one's own obituary, known as an 'auto obituary.' Joe Kissel encourages individuals to take control of how they are remembered by sharing personal stories and details that a standard obituary might omit. The segment also discusses the practical considerations of archiving and securely passing on passwords to heirs, with a critique of Apple's Keychain Access app and suggestions for alternative password management strategies.

30:08

🎁 Gifting the Knowledge of Digital Legacy

The final paragraph discusses the importance of sharing knowledge about digital legacy management, suggesting that the book could be a valuable gift or reference for others. The host and Joe Kissel lament the current inability to directly gift the book through their platform but offer a workaround for purchasing and forwarding a copy. They also mention the book's pricing, upgrade options for previous owners, and the inclusion of a digital will template to assist readers in beginning their planning process.

Keywords

💡Digital Legacy

Digital Legacy refers to the digital assets, online accounts, and virtual presence a person leaves behind after their death. It is a central theme in the video, as the discussion revolves around managing and controlling what happens to one's digital footprint posthumously. The script mentions the importance of taking control of your digital legacy and how it is a concern not only for the individual but also for their heirs.

💡Mac Voices

Mac Voices is the name of the show where this conversation is taking place. It is a platform focused on the Apple community, discussing various topics relevant to Apple users. In the script, Mac Voices is hosting a conversation with Joe Kissel about the important topic of managing one's digital legacy.

💡Joe Kissel

Joe Kissel is the author of 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy' and the guest in the Mac Voices conversation. He provides advice and insights on the importance of planning for one's digital afterlife. His role in the script is that of an expert sharing his knowledge on the subject.

💡Digital Executor

A digital executor is a person designated to manage a deceased person's digital assets and online accounts. The script discusses the concept of a digital executor and the importance of choosing someone technically savvy who can handle the complexities of digital estate management.

💡Patreon and PayPal

Patreon and PayPal are mentioned in the script as the means of support for the Mac Voices show. They represent the platforms used by viewers and listeners to contribute financially to the show, highlighting the community-driven aspect of the program.

💡Password Managers

Password Managers are tools used to securely store and manage passwords. The script discusses the use of password managers in the context of digital legacy, emphasizing the importance of securely passing on access to these tools after one's death.

💡Digital Will

A digital will is a document that outlines instructions for the handling of a person's digital assets after their death. The script mentions the creation of a digital will as a crucial step in planning one's digital legacy, including where to store it and how to ensure it is accessible to the right people.

💡Keychain Access

Keychain Access is an application by Apple for managing passwords and other security credentials. The script criticizes Keychain Access for its user interface and lack of features like password export, suggesting that it is not the best tool for managing passwords for digital legacy purposes.

💡Auto-Obituaries

Auto-Obituaries are self-written obituaries, which allow individuals to express how they want to be remembered. The script encourages the writing of auto-obituaries as a personal touch to one's digital legacy, providing examples of how they can be both humorous and touching.

💡Digital Services

Digital Services in the context of the script refer to startups and companies offering solutions for managing digital legacy. The discussion includes concerns about the longevity and reliability of these services, suggesting that they should not be the sole plan for managing one's digital assets after death.

💡Incapacity

In the script, incapacity refers to situations where a person is temporarily unable to manage their affairs, such as due to illness or accident. The planning for digital legacy is highlighted as being important not only for after death but also for times when one is incapacitated and needs others to access their digital accounts.

Highlights

The importance of managing your digital legacy and the role of a 'digital executor'.

The potential lack of tech savviness in traditional estate executors and the need for a separate digital executor.

Advice on how to choose and communicate with a digital executor to handle your digital assets after death.

The legal considerations and the varying requirements by jurisdiction for assigning a digital executor.

The increasing significance of mobile devices in managing digital legacies.

The inclusion of instant messaging platforms in digital legacy planning.

Considerations for managing passive income from digital assets posthumously.

The challenges and risks associated with entrusting digital legacy to third-party services.

The importance of balancing privacy and accessibility of passwords for loved ones in case of incapacitation or death.

Strategies for securely passing on access to passwords to heirs.

The limitations and challenges of using Apple's Keychain Access for password management.

The value of writing your own obituary to represent yourself as you wish to be remembered.

How digital legacy planning can be beneficial in the event of temporary incapacitation.

The practical use of digital legacy planning during vacations or long absences from daily life.

The book's inclusion of a digital will template to assist in the planning process.

The current limitations in gifting the book and the suggested workaround.

Pricing and upgrade information for the book 'Take Control of Your Digital Legacy'.

Transcripts

the second part of our very important

conversation with Joe Kissel about

taking control of your digital Legacy

this is Mac voices

this edition of macvoices is supported

by you our viewers and listeners through

our patreon and PayPal sponsorship

options to learn more visit

macvoices.com support

welcome to Mac voices

this is the talk of the Apple community

and I'm Chuck Joyner

folks this is part two in our

conversation with Joe Kissel the author

of take control of your digital Legacy a

very very important topic that everyone

is going to have to deal with sooner or

later or at least their heirs will have

to deal with sooner or later

Joe's back this time to give us a little

more advice talk about a couple more of

the pitfalls along the way and I

strongly encourage you to pay attention

to what he says and then go get a copy

of this book I don't say that often but

really this is very very important

let's go back and let Joe do the talking

you used an interesting phrase earlier

digital executor which I really like and

I feel like that's someone that you need

the the person who is Executor of your

your will or your estate

is probably not going to be as tech

savvy as we would all like

um you know as time goes on maybe you're

I don't know maybe you're you're

designating younger people and they are

more tech savvy but I would think that

that's something that probably needs to

be included somewhere in your last

wishes uh specifically so that

the the executor knows who maybe they

can go to and Trust would would have

some idea of even where to start

it's super important and I do talk about

this in detail in the book because as

you say uh

your your executor the person person

responsible for settling your estate so

you know paying taxes and settling your

debts and and all that kind of stuff and

then out of whatever's left

following your instructions as best they

can to divvy out your property to other

people so this is a very important role

and in an ideal world that person your

your regular executor of your estate

would

would also handle your digital stuffs

like well I got so-and-so's computer

tablet smart smartphone whatever here I

have the physical objects so now I'm

going to go through those and get the

data that I need and put that data in

the right place but

it is as you say often the case that the

the executor they might have the

that they might

be very smart knowledgeable care about

you understand your wishes have uh even

legal knowledge but if they don't know

how to deal with weird file formats and

how to transfer large amounts of data to

different places and how to

deal with you know password shoes and

just all the stuff that you're going to

encounter in in unwinding this stuff

uh then I recommend picking a second

person who is who is also as trustworthy

right but but who has that technical

expertise and you don't leave this to

chance you don't just say well Bob

you're my executor and Anne you're my

digital executor good luck no no no you

you sit down with each of them and

explain their duties and you make sure

they talk to each other you put this

stuff in writing you say okay Bob is

going to handle the

you know Financial stuff the tangible

things and N is going to handle the

digital things now depending on where

you live and the the laws very greatly

by jurisdiction

sometimes uh just sort of stapling a

page to your will and saying oh and by

the way this is how we want the digital

stuff to be handled is adequate

other times it needs to be formally

incorporated into your will and

notarized and whatever the process is in

your particular locality so you're going

to want to check with a lawyer or a

state planner or somebody who knows

their stuff about how this is handled in

your area

but one way or another you want to make

sure that you have assigned a digital

executor

that that that person knows what they

have to do and they and the regular

executor are in sync you don't want

these two people to be in conflict with

each other they have to work together

because if your digital executor is

charged with Distributing certain files

but those files only exist on media that

only your regular executor has physical

access to that's going to be a problem

you don't want to have that problem so

you have to spell this out in writing

and make sure that if there are

particular rules where you live that

this only gains legal Force if you do

thus and such will you go do this and

such

that that's great that's exactly what I

had in mind it may be important to say

right now though that that neither one

of us especially you are offering legal

advice you're offering practice

absolutely not and so you know yeah by

all means go and consult the

professionals but Joe's book will give

you a great a great set of guidelines to

go and ask the right questions to make

sure you're getting to the right people

and answering those right questions so

yeah and I I know a bit about again as a

non-professional in the legal field I I

know a bit about how Wills work in

California because I used to live there

I know a bit about how they work in

Saskatchewan because I live here now but

you know like I'll give a presentation

to a user group and somebody in whatever

Arizona or Maine will say oh no no no

you can't do that here because we do

things like this way okay oh well okay I

don't know like even if I gave you

advice that is appropriate for where I

happen to live that might be totally

wrong for where you live so absolutely

check with a professional

Joe I have one more question but it may

take us a little while to get through or

it may not but before I do that I want

to ask you you know what else is

important in the book

um that you feel like we should

highlight to make sure people understand

what they're getting and why they should

go get the book

uh so much so much I have like a

two-page list of just the changes since

the first edition and a few of them

we've covered I'll just mention some of

the some of the things that I noticed as

I was going through the entire

manuscript and revising again that had

had shifted a lot in those six years uh

one is we are using our mobile devices a

lot more we have more of them and we use

them more uh people will use an iPad or

something similar in place of a Mac or

PC you know so mobile devices are

becoming more important talk about that

I I had I had mentioned email I hadn't

mentioned instant messaging like if you

use Apple's iMessage or use uh you know

uh

why why are all the other ones uh

evaporating in my in my memory uh or

anything other

yeah yeah yeah any any of any of the

other third-party instant messaging

services

um you know WhatsApp or signal or

whatever

um you might have a lot of important

data there so I talk about that

uh somebody said okay well I have uh you

know I I have an online business where I

sell some things and they're they're

digital things so they might keep

getting sold after I'm after I'm dead

and royalties will keep rolling in what

do I do about passive income like that

like okay yeah what if you have like a

you know a thing that you're selling on

on on your website or or like you you

you have royalties coming in from you

know songs or artwork that you've

published on one of these platforms so

what do you do about that

um pass Keys past Keys we talked about

in the whole passwords discussion like

that's a new thing and that adds some

complexity to the password so I talk

about that

uh

[Music]

um yeah all that stuff

so one of the one of the things that I

think is particularly important is

I got an email just last week saying oh

Joe I I I signed up for this service

uh that that promises to take care of

all this digital Legacy stuff for me so

I simply upload my files to this service

and I paid them a fee and I I tell them

what to do with this stuff after I'm

gone and I'm good so so is that all I

need to do I'm like uh

so I had I had a few lists of services

like this in the book so naturally six

years later I go back to revise the book

and I click on all the links dead URL

dead URL company out of business service

no longer offered so I had one one of

these lists happen to have eight entries

in it seven of those sites no longer

even existed

so I said okay well here's some that do

today but they might not tomorrow so do

you really want to entrust

your digital Legacy to a company a

startup that's only been in business for

two or three years and might not still

be around when you're dead you really

don't like

feel free if you want to but that

shouldn't be your only plan that should

be like a secondary or a backup plan

so I talk a lot about these these

Digital Services that are trying to

trying to make money off of the

what the death industry I don't know

it's it's weird and creepy but there are

there are a lot of a lot of startups

that are doing this sort of thing

but in my experience they they come and

they go so that's that's another another

really important thing to be aware of

yeah and I would think there'd be a

certain amount of concern if you're a

thinking person about you're handing the

keys to at least some some things some

important aspects of your life over to

an organization

whose employees come and go whose

management comes and goes whether the

organization even is still there is one

question but just I would want to vet

something like that very very carefully

well yeah so there there are

there are big concerns about privacy and

security so what I say is let's let's

take something like your passwords now

your passwords are extremely valuable

we've talked about that a number of

times and you want to keep them

private and secure you don't want

anybody else to get access to your

password so that's true however

it's a double-edged sword because if you

die or even if you just like become

temporarily incapacitated or something

your spouse children loved ones might

need to get access to your accounts

legitimately to to get valuable

information out of it so if your

passwords are so strongly locked down

that not even a loved one could get at

them in the case of an emergency

that's bad

so there are various mechanisms that one

can use to say yes well my passwords are

safe for now but I also have a secure or

semi-secure way to pass access on to

those in the future

okay so there are ways to do that but as

you say if you're if you're giving some

third-party company

access to all of your passwords

and all of your data and all of your

accounts that might be I mean it might

not matter after you've gone but it

matters a lot while you're still alive

and if there were a data breach if there

were a bug if there were a disgruntled

employee if there were any of how

countless other things

data you've entrusted them

could get out and could cause a lot of

problems for you so that's that's yet

another reason to be very cautious when

it comes to this

this delicate balance of making sure

that all of your private stuff is still

private while you're alive and yet

making sure that the right people have

access to it afterwards

well you just brought up another aspect

that is a little less serious than than

the the termination of our lives but the

the incapacitation possible possibility

that you may you could be in a very bad

accident you could be you know there are

a lot of things that could happen that

where your your

I guess your your loved ones uh because

you don't really have an executive for

that kind of thing but you know your

Powers of Attorney maybe is a better is

the best thing to say you know would

need access to a lot of this information

to keep your life going until you can

hopefully get back to it

absolutely and I and I explicitly make

this point in the book that yes we are

talking about posterity like yes we are

talking about how can I make my data

available 50 100 years from now but as

it turns out the stuff that you do

for the long long term planning can also

be valuable

in a few other situations so

let's say you're you're you you you

you're young you're healthy you probably

won't die for another 50 years or

whatever it is that's great but uh you

get hit by a bus tomorrow okay so it's

it's sudden it's unexpected and

at that point your loved ones aren't

worried about well we want to make sure

the great great grandchildren have

pictures of this person well that's nice

but what they're worried about tomorrow

is hey we need to get access to his

insurance account and his money and his

like you know we need to get access to

all the things that were you know locked

up in this person's head

so there's there's there's the the long

in the future posterity there's the like

immediate

aftermath of your Unexpected death but

then backing up from that as you say if

you become sick or incapacitated like it

can happen to anybody a thing happens

and you're in the hospital for a month

and you recover so that's great but in

the meantime

stuff happens you know somebody has to

deal with bills and emails and you know

things so that very same planning that

you did for the more distant future can

also help someone

if you're just out of commission for a

little while and then backing up even

farther from that what if you just

decide to go on vacation you're going to

go on a world cruise for two months or

something you're gonna you're gonna just

get a get a house sitter uh you know

have have a friend a relative

water the plants feed the pets whatever

and you're gonna go off and and travel

or do something or take a nice long

retreat

once again you you have you've left

instructions somebody else can know how

to do the things that you would

ordinarily do to keep your household

running

because you wrote this all down for your

spouse or kids to look at after your

death but that various document can just

be handed to your house sitter you know

you might lead some sections like don't

give them all your passwords all right

but but you might like your house sitter

doesn't need to have access to all of

your family photographs but they they

might need to know how you do certain

things and and that's that's all covered

and

and I I'll just mention one more thing

um

a

an increasingly popular trend

is for people to write their own

obituaries and I encourage this uh I

call them Auto obituaries right

um which is not I didn't coin that term

but that that's that's what you call

them you know your own obituary so in

the last few years I've had

I've had a lot of relatives die a lot of

aunts and uncles have died and I I get

the newspaper clippings you know here's

Uncle Bill's

obituary from the from the paper

and I read these and I'm like I don't

even recognize that person this doesn't

sound anything like the Uncle Bill that

I knew why didn't you say this and why

are you going into so much detail about

his you know his army service

80 years ago like no like tell me about

who the person was

but this is the way obituaries work is

that you know a funeral director or a

newspaper editor will just say look I

know you're grieving here is a template

we're just going to fill in the blanks

just give us the facts and then this

thing comes out that's pretty sterile

and useless

so the the solution is write your own

just you you put attach that to your

digital will right you say okay after

I'm gone I've left a couple of blanks

like date of death cause of death I

haven't filled in those things

but uh but you know

this is what I want you to publish about

me and I've read a number of these that

people have written for themselves they

later died their relatives published the

the obituary that they wrote for

themselves and some of them are just

hilarious

some of them are just really

touching and you know tear-jerking you

you can do it however you want but the

point is that you're representing

yourself the way you want to be

remembered the way you think of yourself

and that's most likely going to be a lot

closer to how other people saw you than

what you would just get with a fill in

the blanks kind of obituary so I I

really recommend that

sure that that's a fantastic piece of

advice I had a similar experience

recently where

a former teacher of mine passed and

frankly it got by me and so when I

looked up her obituary

it barely mentioned

her teaching career

which you know to me was the most of

course you know a little biased but the

most important part of it to me and I

felt like yeah if if they missed that

what else did they miss

and and that's not a criticism you know

if I if the family put it together

that's their business but I just it was

a shame and I can't believe that

as I knew her I can't believe she

wouldn't have been proud of that and

wouldn't have you know at least marked

that as maybe among some of her uh her

most notable achievements so I don't

know yeah I don't know great example

um okay so you touched on the one

question I had and that was passwords so

I'm going to ask two practical questions

okay practical question number one and

I'll combine them

what's the best way to

archive secure and make available my

passwords to my heirs

and two is there a way to get your

passwords out of um out of keychain

boy okay so I told you I was saving a

good one for last

all right

how you pass on access to your passwords

depends upon how you manage them now

there are a few password managers out

there uh Dashlane is an example that

have their own sort of built-in digital

Legacy feature so that while you're

alive you say okay in the event of my

death this person this person this

person will get access to my passwords

and of course you always you have to

jump through hoops to prove that the

person has really died to prove that you

are the person who really has access to

them and so forth but

there are some that have that explicit

uh mechanism one password doesn't have

that although I have heard that they are

thinking about maybe adding something

like that in the future they do have

family plans so you can give you can

give a family member

access right now while you're still

alive to some subset of your passwords

and that in for some people in some

situations that might be sufficient

you can of course just

print out your passwords although if you

have a thousand of them that might be

easier said than done

what I generally recommend that you put

in your digital will is okay here's

where my passwords are it they're in one

password they're in RoboForm they're in

LastPass they're in iCloud keychain

whatever here's where they are

here's where you find that thing and

here's the master password that will

unlock them

so

you're passing the buck a little bit so

if I were to say okay my passwords are

all in one password and to to get that

you would go to this place it might be

like the onepassword.com website and you

enter this you enter this you enter this

and then there they are

and if I put that in my digital will and

it should go without saying but you need

to keep this document very secure you

don't want somebody else getting this uh

before you die might go in a safe

deposit box or something

uh so that's that's one way of doing it

and with iCloud keychain you might say

okay uh here are

here's here's where to find it you have

to get one of my devices all right have

to has to be one of my my Apple device

my iPhone my iPad my Mac something like

that

and you're going to unlock it with this

password and then you go to this app and

then here are my passwords

uh now I I have

I have a special contempt for Apple's

keychain access app

I I've I've looked at dozens of password

managers and and some of them have

better user interfaces some of them have

worse they have this feature they have

that of every password manager I have

ever looked at

keychain access is the worst tool I have

ever seen to actually manage them and

that's not to say that the underlying

mechanism the key chain itself that

holds your passwords and like how that

feeds stuff into Safari in different

places not to say that that's bad but

this app this keychain access app by

which you manage them is just the most

horrendously designed piece of software

ever and I hate to use it and I actively

discourage other people from using it

they don't have to

among its other faults

it doesn't have any way to export your

passwords now there are some third-party

tools or I'll say okay yeah I can I can

import stuff from your keychain

so point me to the keychain easy give me

the password for it okay but

but there's a catch and that is with

every single password that it tries to

import you have to explicitly agree to

that

and if you have a thousand items that's

like clicking yeah okay you can send

this to them a thousand times I I did

that once like I've I've been through

the experience because I wanted to see

what it's like and yuck so uh so my best

advice is like the author just say

here's here's where to find my Mac

here's the password to get in and go

nuts because it's just there's no easier

convenient way to do it

okay I mean that's good to know that's

good to know because it that may

influence your choice of password

managers depending on what stage of your

life or what your health condition is or

what the sophistication of your online

assets is are yeah whatever so yeah

Joe I I feel like so often I say this is

one of the most important books you've

ever written but I feel like this this

one definitely is in that category

um because it's just stuff that is so so

important things that I hope we touched

on just a few things that people didn't

think about up to this point and and

really should whether they want to or

not it's another matter but they should

so and there's there's so much more in

the book so I so I I I like I said give

it I give presentations on this topic to

user groups all the time and uh a week

or so ago uh User Group said hey do you

want to give a presentation on this or a

group in several months I said yeah yeah

let's do that

and they said okay well the presentation

is going to be an hour long I said

that's fine so are you going to cover

everything in your book in that hour I

was like

no no I am not going to be that it's not

possible I couldn't read the entire book

to you in an hour there's it's it's a

long book it has a lot of stuff in it so

everything we've discussed here today

and everything that I discussed when I

give an hour-long presentation on this

topic is

tip of the iceberg it's it's the the the

the the the high level overview if you

want all the meaty stuff you buy the

book and and I will mention that you

don't just get the book you also get a

downloadable template

for a digital will that you can fill in

and it's going to guide you through you

know here's where I talk about my

passwords here's where I talk about my

email here's where I talk about my

photos et cetera et cetera et cetera and

it it's just sort of a fill in the

blanks you know what what what do I need

to mention and

what do I need to say about it so it it

it will help you at least get started

with what can be a a bit of a struggle

sometimes help you get over that initial

I don't even know how to begin kind of

thing no no just just fill in the

template and refer back to the book for

instructions on on specific parts and

you'll be fine

Joe this is this is such an important

book for for me for you for so many

other people but I feel like this is a

book that maybe

you would like to pass on to someone or

gift to someone do you have that

capability with State Control books at

this point

kind of sort of maybe not really

I I have wanted I have wanted to be able

to do this for years Amazon lets you do

this uh Morgan has bought me all kinds

of books as gifts on Amazon and I'll

wake up on my birthday and say oh hey

look there's an email from Amazon you

gotta you got a book so that's nice

so I've wanted to do this there are some

technical challenges that I need to

overcome

and it's one of those things where if I

had a spare week with nothing else to do

I could figure out how to overcome those

technical challenges and make this work

it's on my to-do list trust me it really

is on my to-do list

which I will I will get to that item

at some point

but uh so I I wish we had it we don't

yet and when people ask about this I

tell them

all I can offer at the moment is a sort

of low-tech approach as you buy a copy

of the book and you email it to somebody

I mean it's not ideal but

uh there's this little little problem in

that we don't let you buy more than one

copy of a book because people

accidentally buy books that they already

bought before and then they say wait a

minute I already own this and I want a

refund so we go out of our way to make

it hard for you to buy a second copy of

a book you already own so we have to do

if you want to do this and you already

have the book you have to log out of

your take control account

then buy the book

because it won't know who you are so

we'll know you or you own it and uh then

just just email a copy to somebody uh

it's not ideal and I do plan to fix this

problem eventually but for now that's

the best we can offer in terms of of

gifting

listen low-tech approach or not at least

there is an option out there and if

there was ever a book that was

appropriate for gifting or forwarding

maybe maybe not as gift is not the right

word but forwarding on to someone like

your attorney or your you know your

estate planner this might be it so

thanks I'm glad I'm glad we asked the

question because it's it's so so

important

um so the book obviously is at take

controlbooks.com what's the pricing and

upgrade situation with this one Joe

yeah so if you're buying the book for

the first time or as a gift uh it's

14.99

if you already owned the first edition

from you know 2017 or you bought it

somewhere between now then and now uh

we're offering the new edition for only

a five dollar upgrade fee which I think

is is pretty cheap especially

considering how much has changed since

then but we wanted to make this

information as easily available as

possible so 15 bucks new five for an

upgrade and I I really think you'll be

glad that you bought this

we've spent a lot more time than we

usually do on on Take Control books but

I think again this is just such an

important topic it applies to everyone

hopefully we've given folks some things

to think about a few answers

a lot more answers uh to questions I

want to ask I know are in the book I'm

going to be going and getting it and

digging in a little bit because I

haven't revised this kind of thing for

myself in a long time and I should

so you called me out Joe and thank you I

yeah I need to put your priority list

uh so I hope you're right when you when

you started this out you said that your

business may become more frequent I hope

that's the case

we will have plenty of things to talk

about in the future assuming that we

both survive

you know let's let's hope so let's hope

so

folks I'm Chuck Joyner this is Mac

voices I hope I survived to the next

time we get Joe on I hope you're

surviving please please take

controlbooks.com go take a good hard

look at this invest in it it's an

investment in your future and the future

of your legacy

until the next time thanks for watching

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