By Debbie Gardner
dgardner@thereminder.com
The internet — and your cell phone — now put so many planning tools right at your fingertips! Here’s just a few of the websites and apps available to help you navigate estate and financial planning, fitness and health goals and even traveling!
Estate planning websites
Trust & Will | trustandwill.com
This is an all-in-one site for writing a simple will or trust, including other estate planning materials such as HIPPA documents, power of attorney and living will. The site also includes information on guardianships. The learning tab offers information to help explain all the ins and outs of these estate planning tools. According to Trust & Will’s website. “Our guided online platform makes creating or updating your will or trust a breeze. Need expert input? Our attorneys are ready to offer one-on-one support.” Prices start at $199 for a will, $499 for a revocable living trust. Attorney support is an additional $299 per type of planning tool.
GoodTrust | mygoodtrust.com
According to the GoodTrust website, the service offers:
All-in-one plan: Unlimited Will, Trust and Directives, valid in all 50 states.
The website states “An all-in-one plan that makes it easy to protect your physical and digital assets, provide clear instructions on how you want to be cared for, and name guardians for your children and pets. Finish everything in minutes.”
Family plan, no extra fee: Each individual can create their own plan. Smart Digital Vault: Easily organize your digital life and legacy. This digital vault makes it easy to “Keep track of your online accounts, organize your essential documents, and share important information using your private Digital Vault. Easy to integrate your online life into your estate plan. You can share any digital asset with your family today or only if something happens to you. You have the keys and decide who has access and when.”
The all-in-one plan starts at $149.
Quicken WillMaker & Trust
tinyurl.com/msh3r3cv
With 30 years of experience in DIY estate planning and offering plans that are valid in 35 states, Quicken WillMaker offers three levels of estate planning. This includes a starter plan for $109, which includes a comprehensive will, health care directives and final arrangement, a plus plan – which includes all the starter plan documents plus a durable power of attorney, letter to survivors, living trust and transfer on death for $149 and an all-access plan – which includes all the previous documents plus a secure digital vault for vital documents – for $219.
The website states: “We simplify complex forms and guide you step-by-step through your estate planning.”
Financial planning apps & websites
AARP Retirement Planning Calculator
aarp.org/retirement/retirement-calculator
Free for everyone to use and part of AARP’s suite of information designed to help individuals prepare for and enjoy the best retirement possible, the AARP Retirement Calculator “can provide you with a personalized snapshot of what your financial future might look like. Simply answer a few questions about your household status, salary and retirement savings — for example, what you have in an individual retirement account (IRA) or 401(k)” and the calculator will help you visualize what your future might look like, and steps you can take to improve your retirement outlook.
Empower | empower.com
This site offers both a free version and more sophisticated tools in the paid subscription. According to Rob Berger, author of “Retire Before Mom and Dad” and an online financial influencer (https://robberger.com/), Empower’s retirement planner “enables you to model everything from social security to pensions to one-time income (e.g., inheritance) and expenses (e.g., home renovation) during retirement. You can create multiple scenarios and run Monte Carlo simulations to see your chance of financial success (i.e., not running out of money).”
Retirement Planner | In the Google Play Store for Android phones
According to Investopedia (https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/011916/best-retirementplanning-apps.asp) this free Android app is a useful tool when you are in the midst of making choices about how to structure your retirement savings. This app allows you to compare projections for investing in a 401(k), Roth 401(k), Roth IRA, or traditional IRA. Retirement Planner also shows how saving today will impact your retirement income in the future. It allows you to see if you are on track to reach your retirement goals or if you should reevaluate your long-term plan.
Health & Fitness Apps
Silver Sneakers GO
Google Play Store and Apple App Store
This fitness app, free with many Medicare Advantage and Medigap insurances, is like a mini personal trainer in your pocket! After inputting your name, date of birth and Zip code, the app will let you know if you are eligible for a free version. Add your activity preferences to the app – including instructor-led or self-paced classes in-person or at home –and it will provide info on locations for in-person classes or general activity instruction for things like strength training.
Insight Timer
Google Play Store or Apple App Store
Insight Timer is a meditation app – and so much more! This app offers guided meditations – you can set up how long you meditate with a timer – guided breathwork, soundscapes to help with better sleep, there’s even a free yoga class. Free to download and use. Paid version, at $59.99 a year, offers even more content.
Medisafe
Google Play Store and Apple App Store
Called Medisafe Medication Management on the Apple App Store and Medicare Pill & Med Reminder on the Google Play Store, Medisafe lets users program daily and weekly medications and offers reminders of when to take everything. Aside from medications, the app can track other health indicators like weight, cholesterol level, and heart rate, integrating the app with Apple Watches. If you take medications from multiple healthcare providers, the app tells you about any potentially harmful drug interactions. Plus, the app notifies the user when it’s time to get refills, making it easy to stay on top of medications. Free.
Medcorder
Google Play Store and Apple App Store
This app lets you record, and transcribe, the conversation and instructions during your doctor’s visits, and review what’s said, or share that information with family and caregivers after your appointment if you wish. Be sure to ask for permission from your healthcare provider before recording, you must have permission to do so in Massachusetts and Connecticut. Free to download and use.
Travel apps
Google Maps
Google Play Store or Apple App Store
Sure, your phone probably has a maps function built in, but Google Maps – ideal for on-foot trips as well as driving directions – lets you download your map ahead of time so you can find where you’re going without wi-fi or cellular data charges. Free to download and use.
TripAdvisor
Google Play Store or Apple App Store
Us this handy app in the U.S., and in Austria, Croatia, Denmark, England, France, Iceland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland overseas. TripAdvisor is the world’s largest travel site, helping savvy travelers plan trips, book hotels and find restaurants. Free to download and use all its features.
XE Currency
Google Play Store or Apple App Store
This app lets you keep track of exchange rates for international currencies for over 180 countries – a handy tool when traveling abroad. You can also use it to transfer money internationally. Free to download and use.
Clime
Google Play Store or Apple App Store
According to its website, Clime offers “real-time radar images, insightful precipitation forecasts, severe weather warnings, hurricane and lightning trackers, and accurate daily weather data” right on your phone!
Data includes national and international forecasts. Basic version is free to use, pro versions are available by subscription.
Google Translate
Google Play Store and Apple App Store
It’s an interpreter in your pocket! Google Translate can instantly translate words, phrases, and web pages into English from over 100 other languages, or from those languages into English. Free to download and use.