“Just in Case Message—You might be wondering what this is all about. To save you time, let me explain: in this blog, I’ll cover how I came up with the idea for JICM, how I use it, and why.”
My Personal Story
One of my major fears is hospitals. It’s a depressing place to be, especially as a patient. But life happens, and a few months ago, I ended up in a hospital due to severe stomach aches. I spent a week in bed, and a few weeks later, I had my gallbladder removed.
While listening to the sirens outside, I realized that the possibility of getting hospitalized and potentially becoming incapacitated for a long period is quite high.
Then I started thinking:
- What would happen if I had a serious accident and ended up incapacitated for a long period?
- What if I cannot communicate for a while?
- How will my loved ones get access to my personal information as needed?
- Whom do I care to share my personal information with on such an occasion?
- What if the worst happens?
I then shifted my mindset:
What if I could write an email message ahead of time to be delivered to my loved ones or people I trust if something happens to me? And then, what information should I share and with whom?
Who To Share With
This question was very easy for me to answer: my children. If something happens to me, I want them to get access to my personal information.
For others, their “whom to” may be their spouse/partner, a family member, a close friend, a lawyer, or a business partner. Regardless of our situation, we all have someone we love or trust to share important personal information with.
What Information to Share?
Right away, the question “What personal information do I want to share with my kids?” surfaced.
Using the “benefit” of free time during my hospital stay, I came up with a list of important personal information I must share if something happens to me. Such as:
- Business and personal checking and savings bank accounts
- Credit cards
- Retirement accounts (401K, 529 plans)
- Investment IRAs
- Business online accounts
- Personal online accounts
- PIN and password to unlock my PC
The list went on and on, and I realized that if, for some reason, my life froze on a hospital bed for a while, I was in trouble.
Credit card payments and other bills would remain unpaid (especially accounts that don’t qualify for the autopay option). Who will pay or settle payment options for the hospital and doctor bills?
The list expands if I include the “worst” scenario:
- How will my kids get access to all the accounts I’ve listed earlier without a legal document such as a will?
- Do I want to share some last words with them?
The Birth of “Just in Case Message”
I’m a father of two children and travel a lot for business abroad. That hospital visit made me realize that I had to get prepared for the unthinkable and, as painful as it may seem, take some action.
I researched existing solutions online but could not find one to suit me. The most popular service in the industry offered features to store my personal information and assign it to what they call “deputies,” who will get access to my data. I didn’t like the fact that I had to share my personal information right away with those “deputies.” I want my kids to get access to my personal information only when needed, not before.
Once I got out of the hospital, I started designing the prototype, and a few months later, justincasemessage.com was a reality.
How I Use “Just in Case Message”
I designed the process to be very user-friendly, so I added my trustees and wrote the first messages in minutes.
By the way: writing a “just in case” message is not an easy task. Writing a message to be delivered to your kids if something happens to you is a bit awkward in the beginning. But I was convinced this was something I had to do, so I was able to complete the task in several minutes. I tried not to be very sentimental; I just shared information they needed to know.
Then, I collected all my account information, organized it, typed it into information cards, and attached them to my messages.
The fun part was crafting security quizzes for my kids. Remembering all the good memories about our life, things about me that are not available in my online accounts, such as my birthday, birthplace, favorite sports team, etc.
I set up the system to send me check-in emails every few days for a total of five consecutive times. I check my email a hundred times a day, so if I fail to check in OK three times in a row, it means something happened to me.
I activated check-ins and messaging, and that’s it.
Wrapping Up
Taking the steps to prepare my “just in case” messages provided me with the peace of mind I needed. Knowing that if something happened to me, my children would have access to my personal information was comforting.
The process was ultimately empowering. It allowed me to ensure that my children are taken care of in case I am no longer able to communicate directly. The act of writing these messages was an expression of love and responsibility toward them.
