Just Start!

"I have so much to gather together and get organized it just seems overwhelming!  I know I need to do it, not just for my own sake, but for my family's.  I just can't bring myself to get started."

Does this sound like you?  Have you ever said this to yourself or to someone else?  I have.  I've said it many times over the past decades. Yes, decades.  That's how long it has weighed on my mind that I needed to be responsible and get my records and important documents in some semblance of order but always found excuses. 

A few years ago I overcame the excuses.   Maybe because I hit a certain birthday milestone which is when many of us realize we are mortal after all. Or maybe it was because my own Mother reached a milestone and I'm the executor of her estate.   If something happens to Mom who lives 800 miles away from me, and I'm responsible for taking care of her estate, where would I start?  

I talk to many people about SafelyFiled and why it exists.  Between the medical and prescription tracking feature and the ability to have all of your records and final wishes in your wallet, yet secure, they really understand the need for it. However, the excuse I hear most often as to why they don't follow through is the same excuses I made above.  "I don't know where to start and it's overwhelming".

Keeping Track of Your Healthcare.gov and Medicare Insurance

49,000 emails  

 

Yep, that's what's in my inbox - including emails and other documents confirming my health insurance coverage and giving special instructions.


In the past, I've tried finding something I got 6 months earlier by doing an email search on "health insurance."  You know how that goes.

I start Medicare in January.  And in January my wife will have her own health insurance policy, not one with my name on it.  So now we have two policies to keep track of.  The coverages haven't even started and I'm getting inundated with confirming emails, instructions and documents to download.  Later this week the mailbox on the curb outside the house will be full of paper confirmations.

There's got to be an easy way to keep this under control.

Private Labeling With SafelyFiled

Did you know that you can private label SafelyFiled with the Pro and Pro Lite versions at no extra cost?  Other comparable services charge a lot for that feature.

 

If you're a SafelyFiled Pro Lite or Pro user and you assist clients with documenting, storing, and accessing important records and documents, you can put your name in front of them every time they access their records.

Thank You Veterans!

Thank you seems like such inadequate words to express our deep-felt appreciation for our military members. Whether you're on active duty, in the reserves or guard, or a veteran, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts and from our wallet.

I know from personal experience the sacrifices that military members and their families make for our country's freedom. Veteran's Day is always a great reminder that we need to take the opportunity to publicly express our deeply felt gratitude to our nation's defenders.

Ensure Your Assets Don't Go Unclaimed

Did you know that there are over $41 Billion in unclaimed assets sitting in State and Federal coffers awaiting the rightful owners to claim them? 

Could some of those assets be yours? How can you find out and how can you make sure your money or assets don't get “lost”?

We suspect the problem will get worse in the coming years. With many of us going paperless, a crashed hard drive, lost passwords and accounts closed for inactivity could make it even harder to remember what you have. Without papers to go through, what will jog your or your family’s memory?

HIPAA and Your 18-Year Old Child

"Terri, I am absolutely shocked!  I took my newly turned 18-year old high school senior for some medical tests this past week. The Patient Representative spoke to my son; she did not address me.  I then remembered, this is what you were talking about!"

Why We Created SafelyFiled

"Press 1 if you want to add service."

"Press 2 if you want to make a payment."

"Press 3 if you want to change your address."

 

You know the drill.

Take Control of Your Medical Records

"The Healthcare.gov website continues to have security issues due to weaknesses in security controls."  That is a headline in my news feed today. Read the full story here.

Disaster Preparedness Planning

Does your disaster preparedness plan include plans for vital family, medical and small business records?  If not, you're missing a critical aspect of disaster preparedness.

We are a member of FEMA.gov's Disaster Preparedness Community.  We have found some great information in that community that helps the public be better prepared in the event of a disaster.

SafelyMD for Your Spouse

It's the middle of the night and something is wrong with your husband.  You call 911.   The paramedics arrive in minutes. They have important questions you need to answer but all you want to do is hold your husband's hand and tell him (and yourself) not to be so afraid.

The paramedics want to know about any medical conditions, medications, allergies, resuscitation orders and recent surgeries.  So you let go of his hand and run to the medicine chest.  You give the bottles to a paramedic.  And you try to remember what your husband told you about his last trip to the doctor.

Helping Technophobic Mom With Her Finances From Across The Country

My husband is working with his mother to get her financial affairs in order.  She lives several states away and is very technophobic.  He is having a good time with it.

Another Massive Security Breach

It's in the headlines again!  Another massive security breach where possibly more than a billion internet credentials were stolen.  Read the entire article here

The particulars of this latest breach have not yet been made public.  The initial reports are that the majority of the information stolen is related to email accounts for possible use to send spam and possible malware.  But it could be much more sinister.

 

What should you do?

 

The first thing you should do is change the passwords on your online accounts.  This is a good practice to do every 6 months or so anyway. Yes, it's a pain.  But much less painful than having your identify or assets stolen. 

 

DO NOT use the same password on all accounts!  That cannot be overstated.

There are password management tools such as LastPass.com that can definitely make the management of your passwords easier.  There is a learning curve on that tool, like most tools, but it's pretty intuitive and once you've learned it, you'll love the ease of changing passwords often yet not having to remember all of those different passwords.  It's well worth the premium price of $12 a year. 

Secondly, for all the online accounts you have that offer a two-factor authentication, which is the ability to require an access code in addition to a login and password, turn it on!  Most banks and other financial institutions, along with companies like Google, Facebook and even SafelyFiled, offer this extra level of security.  In our case, you can turn this on to be "always" required, meaning every time you log into your account you will also need an access code, or "only from public computer" which means if you log in from a computer or smart phone different than one you've identified as a private one, you will then need the access code.

The New York Times just released a good article regarding what you need to know about keeping your data out of the hands of the hacker. > Read more.....

Tweet this to inform your followers!

"Passwords alone aren't enough to keep your info secure."

 

What is SafelyFiled doing?

 

We are doing the same thing you should be doing.  We are reviewing our online vulnerabilities.  Our main infrastructure does not allow access with only a password.  We are in the process of reviewing the subsidiary services that we rely on and updating passwords and enabling two-factor authentication where available and not yet enabled.

Share this blog with your loved ones and use social media to get this information out.   Taking proactive measures now can save a lot of heartache later.

Medical Care Alert - Are You Prepared?

We work with some wonderful companies who share a passion for helping others like we do.  One such company is Medical Care Alert.  They have written the following blog for us. 

 

 Article  provided  by  MedicalCareAlert.com 

Who is your first call after a fall?

SafelyFiled Uses You May Not Have Thought Of - Part 1

The main purpose of SafelyFiled is for families to be able to store, organize and share very sensitive family documents and records.  For that reason, we designed the service to be extremely secure.

 

But it has so many other uses and is so affordable, that we thought we'd put together a list of other things we've heard our members do with it and some things we personally use it for.  This is just the first part as there are so many uses we didn't want to overwhelm you in one blog.

Even if you don't use SafelyFiled, we hope this list of things helps you to organize some paperwork you may not have thought of.

Automobile maintenance & tire replacement records 

 

For those of us who keep the maintenance records and purchase receipts for our vehicles in the glove box, that paperwork can become damaged and require a lot of sorting through to find exactly what we need.  You can use your smart phone to photograph those documents and use our App to upload them into your account for quick access anytime. For these types of records, you can even email them into your SafelyFiled account as the info contained on these records isn't sensitive (usually). Now you can destroy the papers and have room to put gloves in the glove compartment! If you need paper copies when you sell or trade the car, just print them off for the new owner.

Annual farm equipment reminders 

 

We have a user who owns a farm.  She has equipment that needs annual maintenance and safety checks.  She uploads her documentation from the previous year's service and adds a reminder to them for next year so she doesn't have to worry about missing a required inspection.

Special order items

 

Have you ever needed to order some special equipment or replacement parts?  I shop online often to order specialty pool replacement items like my pool light bulb.  I don't need to replace it often, maybe every 5 years or so, so when I need to reorder, it's very handy to have the old order form so I have the correct part number and record of where I ordered it from. 


Yes, we realize you can save a lot of this information in other like services and even on your computer because they aren't necessarily sensitive in nature.  But why have your information in different places? SafelyFiled gives you enough storage space to store everything in one place and it is very affordable.  

Check out this blog to help organize things you may not think of 

 

Helpful Tips - A La Carte

We aren't just writers of blogs, we are also readers of blogs. As we come across good information that we think is share-worthy, we share.  This blog is just that.  A list of links to some other helpful and worthwhile blogs that we thought our readers could benefit from.

We certainly aren't the only bloggers out there with great information regarding securing your data. There are many tools and practices that will help you ensure your data is kept safe in cyber space.  In reality, your data's security is really up to you.  Yes, the companies you do business with have a responsibility, but they can only do so much. You as the user of technology have a big role to play in keeping your data secure.

Your Family Legacy

The popularity of sites such as ancestry.com is not really a new phenomenon. The founders took what used to be passed down through generations via mediums like family Bibles, and put it online using, for the most part, public records.

 

That's a great idea and it has really caught on. Congratulations to ancestry.com for that very successful business idea.

If you're anything like me though, there are things about myself and family that I don't necessarily want made known as a public record.  But I do want the information passed on to my grandchildren and other generations to come.

SafelyMD Is a Semi-Finalist

We have been selected as a semi-finalist in LiveSTRONG's Big "C" Competition!  Read more in our official Press Release!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:

Mark H. Snow

847-226-8256

mark.snow@safelyfiled.com

SafelyMD Named a Semifinalist in the Big C Competition

Helping families fight cancer by organizing and securely sharing financial, insurance, legal and medical documents and records

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill. – June 9, 2014 – SafelyFiled.com’s SafelyMD service was selected as one of 168 semifinalists to move on to the second phase of the LIVESTRONG Foundation’s inaugural Big C competition, aiming to change the way the world lives with cancer. SafelyMD will now compete for one of 20 spots in the contest’s next round, the venture accelerator program.

Terrific Twos!

Today, SafelyFiled turns 2!  On 11 Jun 2012, we opened up our operations in a small office on the University of IL campus.  We had computers, furniture, a problem to solve for millions world-wide and a vision!

 

Day One - SafelyFiled Office Set Up

Since we're only 2 years old, we know that most of the world has no idea who we are and why we exist. So, we thought we'd use our second birthday as an opportunity to re-introduce ourselves.

Preparing for vacation

While preparing for the big family vacation, I'm using SafelyFiled for trip documentation.  Both for me to access on the road and for my support folks at home to access in an emergency.

SafelyMD Emergency Data Card In Action

We can say so much more with a video than with words!  This short video demonstrates the power of the SafelyMD Emergency Data Card. 

 

One thing we didn't mention in the video is that if this card is ever lost or stolen, you can very easily log into your SafelyMD account and reset the card.  That will invalidate the old card so that your info can no longer be seen if it's scanned.  This action will create a new card for you which you can print out.  

All of this is FREE for individuals.  

If you want to have this powerful service for yourself and other family members within one account, you can upgrade to SafelyFiled for only $48 a year.  Check out our plans page to see what else comes with the SafelyFiled package.  It's quite extensive!

Have a Safe day!

The Anti-social Network

Sometimes you need to share something, but not with the entire world.  Use SafelyFiled, the anti-social network.

 

Social Networks Have Their Place

We at SafelyFiled use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter all the time.  They're great.  But they're not for everything.

Some things are so important that they need to be protected, yet you still want or need to share them.  Say, for example, you and your sister are taking care of your elderly mom.  And you and your sister live 1,000 miles apart.  When mom visits your sister, your sister needs to have mom's medical records, healthcare power of attorney and living will.  Just pop them into SafelyFiled, give your sister secure access, and both you and your sister will each have them, no matter where mom is staying.

Grandpa's Final Wishes

My husband's Grandpa had taken the time to do the responsible thing for his family.  He had a will, a living will and a signed Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) form. He also had the conversation with his wife about those plans. Yet, when the time came for those wishes to be implemented, it wasn't enough. 

 

Grandpa had a massive heart attack and quit breathing.  Although Grandma knew Grandpa did not want to be resuscitated and expressed that to the paramedics, she could not find his DNR form.  So, emergency responders did what they have to do in that case; they resuscitated him.

When Grandpa awoke in the ICU a few days later he was very angry because he had done all that he had been instructed to do to ensure his wishes were carried out and yet, they weren't.  Grandpa died a couple of weeks later in the ICU.  That resulted in a large medical bill which is what he was trying to avoid for the family.
 

 What went wrong?

SafelyMD and the Business Traveler

You wake up in the middle of the night in your hotel room in Hong Kong. You've never felt this bad - ever.  Is it a heart attack, food poisoning or an allergic reaction to something?

You call the front desk and they call for emergency medical help.  You don't remember much else.   You wake up in the hospital.  The nurse hands you the phone.  It's your wife, just wanting to hear your voice.

Tracking Medications For Loved Ones

Are you tracking prescription and other medications for yourself or others?  Many caregivers and loved ones are tracking medications using a spreadsheet or just writing it down on sheets of paper.

 

SafelyMD and the Single Girl

You just moved to a new city to take your dream job.  You're on your own - and you travel.  Mom and dad worry way too much.  But they have a point.  What if something happens to you?  How would they know?

Taxes, Saving Time and Cutting Expense

If you have clients who wait until the last minute to get their supporting papers to you to get the returns done, (who doesn't?) consider what we've heard from one of our business users.

SafelyMD - Needed Sooner Than We Expected!

SafelyMD has only been available for about a month now. We knew this potentially life saving service was very much needed.  But we didn't realize just how soon and by one of our very own staff members.  Here is her story.

Spring Break, HIPAA & Powers of Attorney

That's a strange combination isn't it?  Well, as I write this blog, we're in the first full week of Spring Break for many schools in central Indiana.  When I picked up the newspaper this morning, I was reminded again that Spring Break isn't always just fun and games. 

Where did that come from? Accidentally downloading software

All of a sudden, an official looking window pops up telling you that it has analyzed your computer and found 1,600 serious problems. Where did that come from?  Windows' latest update?

SafelyMD for an Elderly Parent

It's two in the afternoon and you are in your office.  The phone rings and it's the emergency room of the local hospital.  Your 79-year-old mother was just admitted. 

 

She was grocery shopping, and just slumped to the floor.  Paramedics arrived quickly and took her to the hospital.  Mom wasn't coherent, but they found a SafelyMD card in her purse.  That's how they knew to call you at your office.

Introducing SafelyMD

See this card?  It could save your life.

 

It's only the size of a credit card, but it's incredibly powerful.  In your home, in the ambulance or at the emergency room, this card with its QR code could have life-saving information on it.  It tells paramedics and ER personnel about any medical conditions, medications, allergies, resuscitation orders and recent surgeries you chose to share.  All they have to do is scan it with a smart phone or tablet and they see your information in seconds.

Tips For Protecting Your Important Data

Security breaches are making big news in 2014 and it's only the first few months of the new year.  Target and Healthcare.gov are topping the news headlines.  But other than not using credit or debit cards, and not using the internet for anything, what can you do to protect your sensitive data?

SafelyFiled - A Lifehack for the Tax Filing Process

Pinterest is full of lifehacks for many different projects, tasks and activities.  I did see a few lifehack articles out there for tax filing but not many. Maybe I didn't look in the right places, or maybe the task of filing taxes is so despised that not even Pinterest can make it tolerable :-)

For most of us, taxes are a reality and filing our tax return, at least here in the U.S., can be quite, well...taxing.

St. Valentine's Day

We are starting a tradition at SafelyFiled.  We all work hard, but we couldn't have gotten SafelyFiled to where it is without the support of our spouses.  So to celebrate St. Valentine's Day, this blog is to let the world know how special our spouses are.

 

Keeping a light footprint on your laptop/desktop

Thin client vs thick client is a cyclical debate among computer architects. Every few years, the "next new thing" takes us from thin client to thick client and back again, much as consultants like Dogbert move between distributed and centralized strategies.

How Secure is that Website You're Logging Into?

With all the news recently in the headlines about a certain retailer's breach of security, we thought you might be very interested in a tool to check out your online service website's security.