#5 - Privacy After a Death
Reluctant Executor News
At some level, everyone wants privacy. But if you're a celebrity, privacy is harder to keep. This is a tradeoff many famous people make. What is astonishing is that many of us are surprised to learn new things about celebrities we closely follow after their death. In the day of non-stop social sharing, some stars are able to keep a veil between their public exposure and things that should just be between them and family.
It's easier for non-celebrities to maintain privacy. However, if you're not careful, details about your assets could end up in public record. All legally.
The following posts show how privacy impacted some recently deceased celebrities.
LinkedIn post from July 19, 2023
You work hard to keep certain information private.
But did you know that after you die, much of this information may be open to the public?
Last week a court ruled that 1 of the contested wills from Aretha Franklin was valid.
Most of the news coverage focused on the importance of communicating your wishes to your family, or each party's case for supporting the different wills.
But the most important reminder in this story is that a will becomes a public document once it enters probate, as these did.
This means that anything you include in your will will be available for anyone to see.
It could include details about your assets, and which heirs now own these assets.
It could include usernames and passwords to various accounts.
It could include privileged information about a private business.
You work hard to keep certain information private. Take the necessary steps to keep it private after you're gone.
Click here to comment or like this post on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn post from August 1, 2023
Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho!
You probably remember that Jambi the Genie said this in order to grant a wish from Pee Wee Herman every Saturday morning.
Sadly, Paul Reubens died yesterday.
I was more surprised that he was 70 years old than I was that he kept his cancer battle secret for 6 years.
This is similar to Norm Macdonald, who kept his cancer battle secret from even his close friends.
In a time when it's super easy to overshare information with the world through social media, some celebrities are choosing to hold tightly to these personal battles.
He released a statement on Instagram after his death that apologized to his fans for keeping this diagnosis a secret for so long.
If he planned a posthumous Instagram statement, he probably planned for his estate handoff as well.
While the decision to share details of your personal health is yours to make, keeping your family in the loop will help ease the burden they will have when you're gone.
Especially if one of your heirlooms is a talking chair.
If you don't know where to start, you can download a free template on my site, Reluctant Executor.
Click here to comment or like this post on LinkedIn.
Create your Estate Map
If you can't leave private information in your will, what is an alternative? Create an Estate Map. This is a private document where you can record as much vital information as you want, and share it with only those that you want to share it with.
You can download a free Estate Map template on ReluctantExecutor.com. If you need help filling in the gaps, schedule a one-on-one coaching session with me on our Coaching Page.