A Family-Friendly Checklist to Plan Your Final Affairs
Four years ago, I wrote the blog Estate Planning: Final Instructions, and as I said at the time, “The Elephant in the Room” (rarely or awkwardly talked about) was “How to Prepare Your Family for the End” – sharing your final wishes and necessary financial, legal, and estate information.
Our guest author for this month, Charlie Baker from the law office of Travis R. Walker, recaps a more detailed listing of the needs to make your end-of-life transition as smooth and stress-free as possible for your heirs. Although you won’t be around to hear them thank you for this advance planning, no matter how busy you are right now (or how uncomfortable thinking about this eventual “final passage”), don’t put it off! PKF
Here is the summary the essential categories of TO-DOs:
Estate planning doesn’t have to be a grim affair. This 25-step checklist will make it easier for your family to settle your affairs after your passing. Even if you already have a will or trust in place, there may be additional steps you can take to give your family the peace of mind they need in the days after your death.
Assemble Necessary Information
[ ] 1. Itemize Inventory
Before you write out your will, take note of the material things you own. These may include:
Property
Physical investments
Precious belongings like jewelry or art
Expensive at-home equipment
It’s in your best interest to create an inventory of your belongings in an electronic spreadsheet, but you can also work with your family members to create a physical copy.
Make sure you share the finished copy of your inventory with your executor.
[ ] 2. Itemize Non-Physical Assets
You can also create a separate inventory detailing your intangible investments, including your:
Once again, share this document with your executor. You can also keep an additional physical copy with your tax returns and any documents regarding your insurance policies.
[ ] 3. Assemble Insurance Policies
Regarding your insurance policies, print out all information relevant to your life insurance, home/renters insurance, car insurance, and related coverage. It’s in your best interest to keep this information in a fire-safe or at a bank.
Your executor can receive instructions on accessing these documents if they don’t already have copies on hand.
[ ] 4. Note List of Debts
There’s a chance you’ll leave behind debts upon your passing. These can range from credit card debts to essential mortgage debts to unanticipated medical expenses.
You can work with trusted family members to take account of these debts. Your family can then address those expenses as painlessly and simply as possible.
[ ] 5. Make a Membership List
If you’re a member of an organization that offers life insurance benefits at no additional cost to you or your loved ones, note those institutions among your documents. Your loved ones may have the right to collect additional benefits after passing.
[ ] 6. Gather Titles and Deeds of Properties
While creating an inventory of your belongings, ensure that you produce any related proprietorial documents and include them in your estate planning kit. These documents can include vehicle titles and deeds of property.
You may want to retitle any relevant properties if you have a trust in place, so that said property falls under the trust’s protection at the time of your death.
[ ] 7. Gather Proof of Identity Documents
You can also find the original copies of your social security card, birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, and any discharge papers. Consider making copies of relevant documents and storing them in a fire-safe or bank box.
Again, make sure your executor knows how to access these documents or comes into possession of relevant copies.
[ ] 8. List Digital Logins and Passwords
In this increasingly digital age, your death may see you leave behind a litany of online accounts. With this in mind, list your social media accounts, financial accounts, email addresses, and passwords. You could also invest in terabyte storage blocks so you can make copies of any pictures or relevant documents you may have stored on your computer(s).
Manage and Review Finances
[ ] 9. Consolidate Your Finances
If possible, ensure you can transfer your finances to a single bank or create a paper trail that your loved ones can later follow to consolidate your finances. You want to make it easy for your executor to distribute your applicable finances upon your passing.
[ ] 10. Review Retirement Account Beneficiaries
The beneficiaries you name in your retirement account will receive the benefits before anyone noted in your will. Make sure you’ve named the appropriate beneficiaries and add those parties you want to be protected. You can also remove certain parties from your retirement account after you first establish that account.
[ ] 11. Review Insurance Beneficiaries
Similarly, double-check your insurance beneficiaries and take the time to add any parties you want to benefit from your chosen protections.
[ ] 12. Prepare for Estate Tax Obligations
While you may not have the opportunity to get ahead of your loved ones’ tax obligations, you can work with a personal executor to prepare your loved ones for your state’s specific estate and inheritance taxes. You can also note any federal laws that might impact your loved ones’ inheritances.
[ ] 13. Take Advantage of College Funding Accounts
If you want to create a college fund for any children or grandchildren, you can establish a 529 account during estate planning. Establishing a 529 account comes with tax advantages you can discuss with an accountant or an estate planning attorney, depending on your circumstances.
Decide on Your Plan
[ ] 14. Talk with an Estate Attorney
Between the emotional stress and the sheer number of documents you need to establish a postmortem action plan, you may find you need a hand planning your estate. You can work with an estate attorney to gather the necessary documents and establish the appropriate support nets for your family.
[ ] 15. Choose an Executor or Administrator of Your Estate
Most estate planning attorneys prompt you to elect a personal estate executor when you first draft your will. If you have not elected this individual at this point, you must do so.
Your executor should be someone you trust to be responsible with your loved one’s feelings and your estate. Choosing an executor who is financially stable and mentally fit is also advisable.
[ ] 16. Assign Transfer on Death Designation
When you take the time to assign a transfer of your accounts upon the designation of your death — provided you can do so — you can prevent your loved ones from waiting through a lengthy probate process to take control of your assets.
You can work with an aide to connect with the relevant institutions and ensure your accounts are handled correctly. You have the right to ease the transference of your IRAs, retirement funds, 401ks, and insurance policies in addition to your bank accounts.
[ ] 17. Select Guardians for Children and Pets
Most people don’t forget to declare a guardian for their children in the event of their death. If there’s a specific party you want to watch over your loved ones — including your pets — you need to declare as such in your will.
You can connect with an estate planning attorney if you need to modify an existing will to account for a new family member or pet under your guardianship.
Complete Important Documents
[ ] 18. Last Will and Testament
Your last will and testament identifies your executor, giving them your instructions regarding how you want your property to be distributed. This document must be witnessed and notarized, ensuring you were of sound mind when you distributed control over your estate.
[ ] 19. Living Trust
You can use a living trust to distribute a portion of your estate to a specific designee. Living trusts come with explicit instructions about how portions of your estate should be distributed upon your passing.
You can choose to create either a revocable or irrevocable trust.
You retain control over a revocable trust until your death.
An irrevocable trust technically owns itself and thus places less of a taxable burden upon its recipient.
[ ] 20. Living Will
A living will specifies your desired actions in the event that you can no longer make medical decisions for yourself. You can also use a living will to issue “do not resuscitate” orders.
[ ] 21. Power of Attorney
The power of attorney title determines who wields control over your estate and affairs if you can no longer do so due to your death or a severe injury.
[ ] 22. Statement of Wishes
You can include a statement of wishes along with your will, but it’s not an essential document. Instead, it’s a statement of wishes outlining what you would like your loved ones to do upon your passing regarding your funeral arrangements and additional postmortem care. You can also use a statement of wishes to elaborate on decisions made in your will.
Updating and Managing Your Estate
[ ] 23. Store Documents in a Safe and Accessible Place
You must store your postmortem documents in a location safe from environmental harm and foul play. It’s best to store multiple copies of essential documents in a fire-safe or bank box.
[ ] 24. Make Copies of Your Documents
Having multiple copies of your postmortem documents is always a good idea. You can create physical copies of your estate plans to divide among the relevant parties. You can also make digital copies of these documents to store in the Cloud or on a personal storage drive.
If necessary, you can request that your executor distribute access to these documents to the relevant parties upon your death.
[ ] 25. Reassess Your Plan
There is always a chance your plans for the future may change after you’ve assembled your estate planning documents. With that in mind, make sure you revisit your documents after significant life changes, such as marriage, divorce, and the birth of a child.
You can also revisit your plan if the person you named as your executor or a beneficiary passes away. An estate planning attorney can help you rework your plan upon your request.
Visit this website for the Law Offices of Travis R. Walker based in Florida.
When Your Car (or Smartphone or Computer or Soundbar) is Smarter Than You
Okay, I know I am not a “technology native,” but at least I have become more savvy as a well-informed “technology immigrant.” (Just don’t tell Donald Trump!) But, I just can’t seem to keep up! What is it about “our generation” missing that part of the brain that somehow intuitively informs us which link or button to push in a long series of options on a menu bar? (The ones that only have symbols or pictures really puzzle me!)
I bought a new Chevy (a used but current-model-year demo from the dealer), and I am struggling to understand it! Oh, not just the basics of the radio, three-zone HVAC system, cruise control, or all of the other nifty buttons on the steering wheel…
But, this car talks to me. It tells me when I am not driving straight within the lane. It reprimands me when I am following too close to the car in front of me. In case I forgot to notice the speed limit sign, the reminder pops up next to the speedometer. It even tells me to stop reading the dashboard while I am driving (which is somewhat ironic since the notice comes up randomly while my car is moving).
Our devices are all becoming more interconnected and even “seamless!” For example, my GM vehicle offers OnStar, turn-by-turn navigation, and Sirius/XM-Radio. When I plug my iPhone into the special interface next to the cigarette lighter, the home screen shows up on the main window of my car, making it a cinch to play music from my iTunes library!
If I need to hear female voices “tell me where to go” (besides my wife, of course), I have the opportunity of either letting Siri give me the street directions or listen to another digital woman (who or where she comes from I do not know – a Google Maps cyborg?). One trip, I turned them both on. Number 2 came through the car speakers, while Siri spoke through the phone itself. They both nearly simultaneously gave me the wrong directions to Hershey Lodge (Harrisburg), having me exit the PA Turnpike two exits too soon. (Go figure. I should have taken the advice of my wife who said, “Harrisburg East.”)
This “trouble in tech paradise” is not limited to automobiles. Every appliance is becoming smarter than me! Here’s another example that I may have bought “too many toys” for my own good. Both my Samsung TV and soundbar seem to automatically update themselves using my household WIFI network. The funniest moment in my installation of the Bose sound equipment connected to our cable box in the living room was when I downloaded their app for my iPhone, and inadvertently turned on from a remote location a streaming country music service blaring throughout my house. (Scared my wife to death!)
This is an “equal opportunity” rant, and I do not discriminate: Apple vs. Windows OS, Apple vs. Android iOS, or Apple Genius vs. Best Buy Geek Squad. It makes little difference… embracing the tools of “new age” media and scientific innovations are complicated! For example, why does one need to have a PhD in computer science to use Mail Merge and print labels from Excel and Word on either platform? It should never be that hard to prepare your Christmas card mailing list!
Nearly the only time my “marital bliss” with my wife has been challenged is when something BAD happens to a file, app, or program on our iPhone, iPad, or Mac computer… and we try (with loads of mistakes) to fix it “together.” Even the dogs know to stay away from technology when we are in the middle of a hardware or software “bug!”
Your worst fear – a “crashing” computer
It’s hard to know who to trust in this technology-overloaded environment. Several weeks ago, when my wife’s Mac crashed and was “trapped” in an endless loop of restarts, we picked up our entire 27-inch, awkward-shaped/sized piece of equipment and carried it to the Apple Store for a consult with the “Almighty Apple Genius Department.” We brought with us the printed error message that said the problem was due to a “kernel panic.” Placing our faith in AppleCare, we accepted their experts’ prognosis, and allowed them to erase half-a-million documents from her hard drive, strip it clean, and re-install the operating system. Big problem, but an even bigger mistake.
Here’s the short version of our sad story (the retelling of which raises my blood pressure). After seven trips to the mall over five days, “they” (who are supposed to know better) discovered that our backup external hard drive, the Apple Time Capsule bought 18 months ago (now out-of-warranty, but of course!), was the source of the problem, not the Mac. (Getting a little revenge? On trip #6, when we hooked up to the Apple Store’s computer, our Time Capsule crashed their hardware.) With all of my wife’s documents long-gone from the computer and a couple terabytes of data on the Time Capsule now inaccessible, we were “saved” by our subscription to the cloud-based backup program Carbonite which did restore most of her files… but took five days 24/7 via WIFI to bring them back!
However, we “learned” that this process is excruciating slow if you have a stray colon or backslash within the title of any document. Many of these files had to be reloaded by hand. And, to date, we still have not been able to get our Family Tree application to work!
Morale to the story: Don’t always believe in the “geniuses!”
Don’t give up on your existing tech skills
Regardless of our age, many of us music teachers are a little more fortunate to have been exposed to innovative software and other technological tools during our teaching years.
If you were a band director, you might know Pyware 3D Drill Design or some of the video editing programs to compare your the halftime show on Friday night with the schematic drawings “count by count” on how it should look. If you were involved in printing programs, senior yearbooks, posters, or other graphic media, you’re probably not afraid of desktop publishing projects. Those versed in Sibelius, Finale, or other music creation programs, or who introduced MusicFirst or SmartMusic applications to your music students, are much further along than many of the other teachers from our generation. If you’re retiring or have retired in the last five or 10 years, you were probably trained in your school district’s proprietary grade-book programs or attendance record system, and even may call yourself well-versed on creating/posting material on a website like “teacher pages,” skills that can be easily transferred to applications like WordPress or Wicks.com. So, don’t be afraid to venture out of your “comfort zone!” Unlike your father or father-in-law, who may have only had a taste of Applesoft Basic programming or a little TurboPascal coding before they retired, you may be “ahead of the game!”
Here are a few more gleams of “tech illuminations” that I have learned from being baptized and then thrown into this 21st-century topsy-turvy madhouse.
Turn yourself into a “tech-streetwise” retiree
One way to help educate yourself on all of these 21st Century “innovations” is to watch the podcast “Leo the Tech Guy” at https://techguylabs.com/.Leo Laporte brings all of this confusion down to our level… simple/easy terms and step-by-step instructions, and his reviews on future computers, smartphones, tablets, televisions, home security, software applications, and other technology are excellent. His FREE talk show airs every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Pacific Time, but all of the episodes are archived and you can search on specific topics.
The subjects he returns to on a frequent basis include:
Backup and Recovery
Business
Gaming
Hardware
Home Theater
Internet and The Web
Media
Mobile Phones
Networking
Peripherals
Backup the backup
Leo says we should have at least three copies of every important file… one on our hard drive, one on an external drive, and one in the cloud. If you don’t believe this, reread the agonizing anecdote above (“…crashing computer”). Backup #1 was erase by Apple Genius. Backup #2 was damaged or made inaccessible by the “kernel panic.” That left us with Backup #3… Carbonite. Thank god!
The original saved document is considered Copy #1. You need to then transfer this to an external location, outside your hard drive. Copy #2 could be sent to a flash or jump drive (just plug it into your USB port), or an external hard drive. (Understandably, my wife is no longer willing to trust the Apple Time Capsule which uses a program called Time Machine that automatically backups every file you save via WIFI… but there are other brands you could consider.)
However, keep in mind that if a fire occurs in the room you store your computer and external hard drive, all could be lost! The final copy #3 should be the automatic online back-up created by a cloud-based application. Carbonite saved my ***, but there are many subscription services out there that offer file syncing, encrypted backup, and data restoration at a reasonable cost:
Acronis True Image
Backblaze
Carbonite
IDrive
SOS Online Backup
SpiderOak One
What is the core reason that all of this is worth the money? Cloud-based programs do their magic behind-the-scenes (automatic redundancy saves the day) and won’t let you you forget to backup! If you are looking for an assessment like Consumer Reports on these products, advisers say, “Go to a computer nerd!” Perhaps PC Magazine comes the closest in being comprehensive: https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2288745,00.asp.
Manage passwords carefully.
From password management to virus protection, and simply knowing not to click on any random link or attachment in email are essential. Online security has become a very important issue. The experts tell us we should not have the same password for all of our applications, and it should not have any portion of our name, phone number, or other easy-to-guess info. My solution to resolve the conundrum of being safe and catering to a “senior citizen’s memory” was to create a core password that I could remember but no one else could figure out, and then add a prefix or suffix of a couple additional letters that describes the name of the applications. (Whatever you do, don’t use “123” as a password!) You should write down on paper an alphabetical listing of your user names and passwords, store the journal in your safety deposit box away from fire, flood, or theft, and share another copy of it with your spouse or at least one other family member. But, don’t forget to update the catalog frequently! (Passwords should change from time to time.)
I also found there are several ingenuous apps out there to help you with creating really random passwords, storing and accessing them with one “master password,” and even the provision of a “digital will,” designating a trusted friend and family member access to your virtual password vault in the event of an emergency or crisis. Now, all that is left for you is figuring out how to download one of these on all of your devices:
They used to say that a tie is one of the most germ-ridden articles of men’s clothing. (In some hospitals, they recommend that doctors “lose the tie” as part of their dress code.) What do you see at the entrance of most grocery stores… disinfectant wipes for the shopping cart handles? Perhaps your cellphone tops the list of tech articles you rarely sterilize. When was the last time you cleaned your tablet? Your door knob to the bathroom probably gets more attention! Can you imagine anything containing more bacteria than the surface of your computer’s keyboard?
Whatever you do, be careful not to immerse your tech tool and cause harm to the internal circuits! Even if they say your phone is “water resistant,” don’t test it!
There are a lot of products out there to help you kill the microbes… specialized wipes for touch screens and others for hard surface areas. Read the precautions. What do you use for your eye glasses to avoid scratching the lenses?
Be aware of “operator error” in making this worse. How often do you wash your hands prior to picking up your wallet or smartphone? PURELL Hand Sanitizer was invented in 1988 by GOJO to meet the needs of healthcare providers and restaurants operators looking for ways to reduce the spread of germs. I have a container of PURELL sitting next to my computer.
Again, read their advice and all warnings. For a low budget solution, I would look into buying an antibacterial micro-fiber cloth and for the keyboards, consider using a very light application of isopropyl alcohol (on a rag, not directly on the device!).
Speaking of sanitizing… clear your “cookies” and “cache!”
What a strange language we use for our tech tools! Well, in the middle of writing this blog, I found that my Firefox browser was “giving me fits” for doing an online credit card transaction. Taking time out to find out why there were error messages (calling the 1-800 customer support people), I confirmed they always seem to ask you three questions:
What is the make, model, and year of your computer (or other device)?
What is the version of your computer’s operating system? (Mine is almost always updated to the most current edition. This is normally good advice for surviving the always-fluctuating tech landscape.)
What browser are you using?
For some reason, the techies will recommend you clear your browser history, including all forms, downloads, cookies, and cache… “translate” this mumble-jumble as cleaning out some of the temporary files and other “things in the buffer.” If you are having trouble reaching a known website or filling out digital applications or other forms, give this a try. It works for me almost every time. When in doubt, sanitize!
When you’re in real trouble, be quick to reach-out for support
Remember that game show, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” In the original series, one of the “lifelines” to help the “stumped” contestant deal with a difficult question was the option to “phone a friend.” Latch onto a “technician tutor,” perhaps a student graduate or close family member. With how fast technology is evolving, I have been so appreciative of a former student stage crew member who came back to the school district employed as a tech aide, and was willing to do “house calls” and set up and improve the overall security of my network, install multiple routers, computers, printers, smart TVs, etc.
What about becoming a “web(inar) maestro?”
Finally, have you considered making an education video or presenting a webinar? Do you think you, another “technology immigrant” and retired music teacher (like me) would be the last one to ever venture out to do this? Well, perhaps not!
Think of all of that expert “stuff” you have swimming around your head. Pass it on… it’s all about leaving a legacy. You should share your experiences and knowledge earned from that old “school of hard-knocks!”
And, it isn’t that hard to do. If you are comfortable with PowerPoint, Keynote, or Prezi, all you need to do is find someone who has a subscription of Zoom or Go-To Meeting. If you are a member of a state education association like NAfME or an affiliated state unit like PMEA, they could set you up to host a webinar or record a professional development video. It’s “easy peasy!” Most would welcome your contribution to their online professional development library, like the NAfME Academy.
You might even have a few ready-made presentations sitting idle on your hard drive. What about those old music appreciation lessons, marching band leadership seminars, Orff/Kodaly/Dalcroze workshops, string pedagogy tips, or ??? Dust them off, review/edit/update, or as they say, “repackage” your work. What’s that quote? “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
This started out as a “rant” lamenting the fact we have all but lost what seemed to be a calmer, simpler lifestyle. But, technology is here to stay, and we either learn to cope with it, or go back to the caveman era and put our heads in the sand (to mix metaphors). At least, be happy to know you are not alone in riding this “bucking bronco” of the digital age. Here are even more online hints on surviving technology:
P.S. My wife says she’s still mad at Apple! Well, we do have to move on… a little wiser, more resilient, and possibly less gullible in trusting future “experts.”
Photo credits in order from Pixabay.com: “banner” by geralt, “imac-ipad-iphone-macbook-laptop” by Tim_H, “computer problem” by OpenClipart-Vectors, “man” by Tikwa, “thumb-drive” by skeeze, “key” by 3Dman_eu, “maze” by qimono, and “smartphone manipulation” by Funky Focus.
Part I: One retiree’s quest for learning technology, science, and history
Freedom! “Living the dream” in post-employment life has opened so many new avenues of exploration, allowing me to embrace many things I have always wanted to try. Released from the 24/7 nature of running a music program, classes and/or ensembles (even at rest, your mind is still “back at work” thinking about your next lesson or concert selection – and we all know how much time we spent on extra-curricular activities and professional development), you must now find your own intellectual stimulation, replenish your “curiosity quotient,” rekindle your creative self-expression, and re-invent yourself.
Gone are the days that my laptop computer was used mostly for taking daily homeroom and class attendance, updating the student data in MMS or the grade-book program, and reading school emails and directives from administration. Thank god, those forms of “technology” are “retired” (probably permanently for me).
Following my own advice from this series of blogs on retirement resources, I have had no trouble “finding purpose, structure, and community,” emphasized by Ernie Zeliniski as key components in his bestselling book, How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free. However, keeping track of the schedule (since it is ever-changing) can be a challenge! Our numerous appointments, lunch dates, babysitting chores, volunteer hours, and medical checkups now land at more unpredictable dates. Happily, the iPhone calendar app, which is linked to my wife’s devices, too, is the most essential “tech tool” to maintain your “now busier than ever” daily/weekly plan.
It should be mentioned, if you are a fan of Google gmail, there is also an excellent Google Calendar, as well as a place for contacts, documents, and photos stored safely “in the cloud.”
Updates and Passwords
Retirement provides me more time to literally “figure out technology.” Although I would never claim to have much skill as a nerd (nor would I ever try to seek employment as a member of the highly esteemed Geek Squad), I am finally taking the necessary steps to update my software more regularly, download revised apps, and even go as far as changing my passwords. Everyone knows, with hackers lurking around every corner of the Internet, you are supposed to do two things: have a different password for each application, and from time to time, change these passwords. They should not be something someone else could guess, like “1234” or your phone number or the nickname “foxy” for me. A “good” password should utilize numbers, capitalized letters and small-case, and special characters like $, &, or underline. Using a password manager program like Last Pass (my favorite, and it also comes with a “free version”), you can generate totally random characters for any password and maintain a secure “password vault” under one “master password.” For password manager reviews, check out PC Magazine: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2407168,00.asp.
Media Moments
When I was teaching, after a long day of classes and rehearsals, the purpose of the television was to put me to sleep when I got home. Of course, that has not changed much. I hate television. There are very few programs in which I am interested. However, I finally got around to discovering what Amazon Prime and Netflix offer. Crazy old Trekkies like me can now can view every episode of the original Star Trek series in chronological order. When my wife revisits her fixation on the new Gilmore Girls three-part movie or The Crown (Netflix), all I have to do is go into another room, fire up my computer’s browser, and check out the latest video podcast of “Leo the Tech Guy” (techguylabs.com) or any number of the playlists of Ted Talks (these about music caught my notice):
One of my hobbies furthest from a career in music education has to do with collecting and reading books about World War II, particularly U.S. Navy, submarines and surface fleet. One of my fellow hospital volunteer escorts, a veteran of the Vietnam war, turned me on to the free classic online episodes of T.V. series The Silent Service, for example the 25-minute 1957 broadcast of SS Tinosa Story #8310 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1nESHgqAnY) archived by Persicope Film LLC.
Almost anything can be found on the Internet. Archived in YouTube, do you remember that old science film your elementary teacher may have shown called “Hemo the Magnificant” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08QDu2pGtkc? Although the content is out-dated, I can’t help being a little nostalgic in sharing the entire “Bell Lab Telephone” series:
My new girlfriend Siri has become a constant trip partner, not just for using turn-by-turn directions (often needed since my wife would tell you I can get lost in my closet), but to open up opportunities for brainstorming and sound out new ideas for my writing. Whenever I am “on hold” sitting in a doctor or dentist office, doing family shopping at the mall, or even waiting for traffic at an accident or during rush hour, my hands-free blue-tooth connection allows me to “babble” my thoughts into an app called Evernote, which provides (not always accurate) transcripts that can be downloaded from any of my devices including my computer. Later on, I can use the text as a basis for an article’s outline or to add to my “honey-do” list. However, just remember, you should not use this “tech technique” while driving… the distraction of turning Siri on and off or viewing your last entry does not allow for safe/alert driving!
Powered by artificial intelligence, other voice-activated virtual assistants and knowledge navigators including products like Google Home and Amazon Echo (with a different “girlfriend” named “Alexa”) are flooding the market. This should be no surprise… the 21st Century seems to be developing many new inventions of super-automation, not so far from the female-voiced computer interface on the USS Enterprise (Star Trek) that could control everything. Soon you may take a ride from Uber in a driver-less car or “program” the autopilot on your pure-electric Tesla. Do you foresee the time when you will accept your Amazon merchandise or pizza being delivered from the air? What were those drone-operated lights we saw in the background of Lady Gaga’s halftime performance at the 2017 Super Bowl… possible future special effects for HS musicals and marching band shows?
My generation of teachers who entered the profession had no experience or training in microcomputers, tablets, smartphones, smart watches or other devices, or virtual reality headsets. (They weren’t invented yet!) Throughout the advent of technological “innovations,” many of us felt like we were “technology immigrants” trying to catch-up! It was easier for those “technology natives” born after 1980 since they grew up with the Internet. Change is inevitable, and we are all life-long learners. So it almost goes without saying: You can teach an old dog new tricks… even retired music teachers and other baby-boomer retirees how to grasp the fundamentals and benefits of technology, media, and online learning.
(Getting a little revenge? On trip #6, when we hooked up to the Apple Store’s computer, our Time Capsule crashed their hardware.) With all of my wife’s documents long-gone from the computer and a couple terabytes of data on the Time Capsule now inaccessible, we were “saved” by our subscription to the cloud-based backup program Carbonite which did restore most of her files… but took five days 24/7 via WIFI to bring them back!
One way to help educate yourself on all of these 21st Century “innovations” is to watch the podcast 
The original saved document is considered Copy #1. You need to then transfer this to an external location, outside your hard drive. Copy #2 could be sent to a flash or jump drive (just plug it into your USB port), or an external hard drive. (Understandably, my wife is no longer willing to trust the Apple Time Capsule which uses a program called Time Machine that automatically backups every file you save via WIFI… but there are other brands you could consider.)
From password management to virus protection, and simply knowing not to click on any random link or attachment in email are essential. Online security has become a very important issue. The experts tell us we should not have the same password for all of our applications, and it should not have any portion of our name, phone number, or other easy-to-guess info. My solution to resolve the conundrum of being safe and catering to a “senior citizen’s memory” was to create a core password that I could remember but no one else could figure out, and then add a prefix or suffix of a couple additional letters that describes the name of the applications. (Whatever you do, don’t use “123” as a password!) You should write down on paper an alphabetical listing of your user names and passwords, store the journal in your safety deposit box away from fire, flood, or theft, and share another copy of it with your spouse or at least one other family member. But, don’t forget to update the catalog frequently! (Passwords should change from time to time.)
for your eye glasses to avoid scratching the lenses?
is the most essential “tech tool” to maintain your “now busier than ever” daily/weekly plan.
r as changing my passwords. Everyone knows, with hackers lurking around every corner of the Internet, you are supposed to do two things: have a different password for each application, and from time to time, change these passwords. They should not be something someone else could guess, like “1234” or your phone number or the nickname “foxy” for me. A “good” password should utilize numbers, capitalized letters and small-case, and special characters like $, &, or underline. Using a password manager program like 
Girls three-part movie or The Crown (Netflix), all I have to do is go into another room, fire up my computer’s browser, and check out the latest video podcast of 
One of my hobbies furthest from a career in music education has to do with collecting and reading books about World War II, particularly U.S. Navy, submarines and surface fleet. One of my fellow hospital volunteer escorts, a veteran of the Vietnam war, turned me on to the free classic online episodes of T.V. series The Silent Service, for example the 25-minute 1957 broadcast of 
Powered by artificial intelligence, other voice-activated virtual assistants and knowledge navigators including products like Google Home and Amazon Echo (with a different “girlfriend” named “Alexa”) are flooding the market. This should be no surprise… the 21st Century seems to be developing many new inventions of super-automation, not so far from the female-voiced computer interface on the USS Enterprise (Star Trek) that could control everything. Soon you may take a ride from Uber in a driver-less car or “program” the autopilot on your pure-electric Tesla. Do you foresee the time when you will accept your Amazon merchandise or pizza being delivered from the air? What were those drone-operated lights we saw in the background of Lady Gaga’s halftime performance at the 2017 Super Bowl… possible future special effects for HS musicals and marching band shows?
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