ARE YOU BORED ENOUGH TO START ON YOUR TO-DO LIST?

If you are like me, by now you have probably received COVID-19 messages from every business you frequent. I am not a medical professional and will not pretend to know how often you should leave your house or wash your hands. Please listen to the appropriate professionals in that regard. 

If you have found yourself spending far more time at home and a “safe” social distance from the rest of humanity, you might be updating your to-do list and attempting to accomplish some long overdue tasks. Following are some items you might want to consider from the perspective of a legal professional. 

1. Review your auto, home/renter, life, and disability insurance policies to make sure that they reflect your current needs. Your circumstances may have changed since you last chose your liability limits, beneficiaries, and death pay-out amounts. Alterations can usually be made with a quick phone call to your insurance agent. 
2. Read your own will or trust, and if you do not have one, it is time. I do not know your age or circumstances, but it is time.
3. Ditto on the durable power of attorney and health care power of attorney or living will. If you have them, review them to make sure they still reflect your current wishes. If you do not have these very important documents, today is a good day to start the process.
4. Discuss your health care wishes with the person you appointed to make decisions for you if you are unable. Let them know: 
   1. Who are the doctors you trust?
   2. How do you feel about life-sustaining measures in different scenarios?
   3. What types of medical treatments would you want/refuse?
   4. What will be most important to you if you are dying (such as pain control, having lots of visitors, your favorite music, prayer groups, being in your own home)?
   5. How do your religious beliefs impact your wishes?
5. Take a few minutes to consider what would happen if you needed someone to step into your shoes due to sickness, death, or (something I thought unlikely a month ago), quarantine. Have you adequately prepared? Ask yourself:
   1. Will the right people take over?
   2. Who are they?
   3. How will they know who they are?
   4. Have I given them the power to act?
   5. Will they know where all of my important information is?
   6. Has it been prepared and updated? Is it all in one location?
   7. Will the right people be able to access my important information?
   8. Are there passwords they would need? Keys, combinations, or codes? Permission?
   9. Who are my trusted lawyers, financial advisors, accountants, tax advisors, insurance agents, and bankers?
6. Document the personal property that you own. This could be very helpful for insurance purposes in case of a fire or other natural disaster. You may also want to document which items have a special value to you personally, because your favorite keepsake could possibly become someone else’s rummage sale freebie. 
7. Remember that pets are typically considered personal property–even if you dress them up and treat them better than your children. Who will care for your pets if you cannot?
8. Check whether you possess documents with important personal identifying information (such as Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or passwords) that should be safeguarded or shredded.
9. Change your passwords.
10. Organize/declutter your emails and check your spam folders.
11. Update your resume—even if you are not currently looking for a job. 
12. Back up your phone and computers.
13. Update your bucket list.