| | Published May 8th, 2024
| Springbook - a user manual to help family members move forward in a loved one's absence
| | | By Vera Kochan |  | | Photos courtesy Dustie Robeson |
Is your family prepared to handle your estate and all that it entails in the event of your incapacitation or passing? Surprisingly, many are not.
Enter: Springbook. The brainchild of Moraga resident Dustie Robeson, who's had 16 years of experience as a professional home organizer, Springbook is "a comprehensive information collection system that ensures no one is left guessing their way through an already emotional, overwhelming, and difficult time."
The user manual gives your loved ones all the information they will need to settle your affairs. Filled out correctly it will provide information such as access to your phone, computers, safe, and spare keys. It should include the information on how to locate all your assets, liabilities, insurance policies, and it should provide informed medical advice for your children. The information can help them to contact your employer's benefits administrator and human resources. Fill the user manual with information on how to close your online accounts and subscriptions, and how to find essential documents like deeds, military discharge paperwork, Social Security cards, and car titles. Robeson decided to call her business Springbook after an encounter with a friend's father who had purchased something similar and gave it the facetious name of "Death Book". Wanting to make her version more cheerful, "Springbook" was born.
"I wasn't depressed while I was working on this," stated Robeson. "It was very comforting, and I like creating order out of chaos. I'm on a mission to bring the conversation to light." She laughed, "I'm a real hit at parties."
According to a Gallup poll from 2016, only 44% of Americans reported having a will that indicates how their estate should be distributed after their death. A survey conducted by AARP in 2017, revealed that nearly 60% of American adults do not have a will or other estate planning documents in place. A 2021 survey conducted by Caring.com found that 67% of American adults do not have a will, and that among adults with children under the age of 18, 78% do not have a will.
Robeson understands that the topic of death can be a difficult one to discuss, "Kids are uncomfortable, because it sounds like they're being greedy, and parents are uncomfortable, because they're not ready to disclose everything to their kids. You shouldn't wait to do this when you're old. A good time to get organized is when you send your kids to college -- this is when you should do estate planning. It's not something that's just for older people, and you should embed that in your children. Springbook fills a gap in the legal estate planning process."
Robeson added, "Unfortunately an estate plan, if you have one, won't be enough to make the transition easy on your loved ones. Legal documents are absolutely essential, but they lack the specificity heirs need when they actually walk into their loved one's home following a death and have to start locating assets and insurance policies, selling cars, contacting online accounts, caring for pets, planning a memorial service, and so much more. Having the authority to do this is one thing, but being able to do it efficiently and easily is something altogether different, and that is what Springbook provides."
Springbook comes with a binder kit and Digital Springbook Documents with directions. For more information call: (925) 878-5385 or visit: www.myspringbook.com. |
 | | Photos courtesy Dustie Robeson | | | | | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA