15 Dec
So, the greatest gift of all is really two-fold; giving your spouse and kids the ease of your clearly-defined and accessible affairs before and after the unfortunate but expected happens, as well as providing yourself with peace of mind; accessing structured, secure and up to date documentation on short notice with little to no effort.
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but if we are being honest it is not always fun, yet the time keeps flying.
Our days have become so filled with doing things for others and providing for our loved ones. Along with the complexity of raising kids, we’re faced with making money, carpooling, errands, emailing requested information, homework, choosing the right medical aid, cooking, consoling a broken heart. And don’t forget to increase the contribution to the retirement annuity and cheering for that winning goal.
Do we complain about it? Yes! Can it be chaotic? Yes! Is it worth it? Yes!
Through all the chaos and complaining, we are innately wired to provide and care for our loved ones, but ask yourself: are your affairs in such a state that if you were to die next week, the financial administration would be easy for your loved ones to access and settle? What is currently in place? Where can your family find what is currently in place? What still needs to be addressed? Do you have any special requests? Wow… and you thought being asked your age was going to be the most difficult question you faced this year.
The estimated average to settle a deceased estate with only an investment and no problems is 5 to 6 months, according to a consultant at Sanlam Trust. The administration process for estates of a gross value of ZAR125 000 or more must follow guidelines which can take between 6 to 13 months. These are mild statistics compared to the time it takes to settle expansive and complex estates.
We spend the majority of our lives striving to provide for those we love. But wouldn’t it be awful if they were faced with months of unnecessary administration and headaches at such a terrible time?
What really matters is minding your matters so that your loved ones don’t have to. While this might sound daunting, what if there was an easier way? A much, much easier way. A product which allows you to securely manage all essential information about your and your family’s entire existence. From basic and family information, estates and Wills, financial portfolio, profession, and employment details, to medical information, and accounts, including loyalty/rewards and municipal accounts.
Streamline your life and be completely in control of the information you and your family need, or will need, to live the lives you love.
The platform, named permyssion (my permission), was created with exactly this in mind. It helps you manage your personal information and offers a wealth of value for seamless access and distribution of essential documentation and personal data.
From promptly providing the kids’ passports, visas or proof of registration for that school trip. Or even compiling the documentation needed to apply for university, to changing of ownership of your eldest’s first car from your name into theirs. These are the moments that are meant to be cherished instead of charged with frustration. Beyond basic information and documentation, permyssion lets you save and share videos, photos, and letters with selected participants on certain occasions. And permyssion even makes provision for special requests such as non-related family members like domestic workers, pets and charities.
As you and your family grow, permyssion grows with you. Allowing for easy and integrated updates – even notifying you, well in advance, when your documents are due to expire.
The greatest gift of all is really two-fold; providing for your loved ones and making everything as easy as possible for them in the most difficult times. It’s peace of mind, for you and for them. Giving them access to structured, secure and up to date documentation on short notice with little to no effort is a reality for the first time.
Turn chaos into order and pressure into peace of mind. Manage your personal information better.
We have a strange relationship with our personal data. We leave it everywhere, usually without a second thought. We say we care about privacy, and we’ve all read horror stories of identity theft, global tech giants selling us out to advertisers, manipulative political profiling and more. Yet, we continue to play very fast and loose with that which we say we value.
How familiar are you with your rights when it comes to the protection of your personal information?
Many countries have legislation in place to protect the personal information of their data subjects (consumers and organisations), such as the General Data Protection Regulation (or GDPR), which was adopted by the European Parliament in early 2016. And, South Africa’s data protection law, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) enacted in 2013. Other countries are quickly following suit.
We know there’s a need for data protection laws and we (loosely at least) understand the gravity of what can be done when personal data lands in the wrong hands.
But many of us are unaware of the magnitude of our personal information which is available out there, whether shared by ourselves or others. We also do not seem to fully understand what exactly can be done should the wrong people get their hands on even a sliver of our personal information.
To better understand the extent of this, consider the following:
Ever wondered how a company you have never heard of or dealt with and never opted-in to, has your contact details? This is often due to the sharing, selling and distribution of data subject’s personal information without our explicit consent. While this is now unlawful, thanks to legislation such as GDPR and POPI, it’s still a regular occurrence leaving many consumers vulnerable.
Or, when you install an app and it requests access to your phone, social media accounts, photos, email, calendar, contact list, and location? Why does a game or a simple utility want or need all that?
What actually is the point of having a passcode on your phone? What are you protecting and from whom when you have already granted such thorough access?
Most of us simply don’t know what we are consenting to, or why.
Had a bad experience with your bank and wrote a review online? From this information alone, someone with malicious intent now knows your name, who you bank with. And depending on what platform you use, the information available on that platform (gender, marital status, email address, cell phone number, the city you live in, interests, maybe your birthdate and more). This is sufficient data for many illegal acts including identity theft and fraud.
Even something as simple as forgetting to update your postal address with your bank when you move to a new house. This could result in the new resident in your old home receiving your bank statements and some of your banking information.
What can you do to keep your personal information as secure as possible?
Along with the many advantages of our modern information age comes responsibility. We each have a responsibility to keep track of, update, manage and protect our own personal data. This insight forms the base of the product called permyssion (my permission). It’s one platform for our complex lives, where you securely manage all your personal information.
The permyssion platform changes the rules by putting you in charge of your own data.
A secure and structured platform enables you to manage, in a private digital location, all your personal information. Identity and family information, estates and Wills, financial portfolio, professional and employment details, medical information and accounts, loyalty/rewards, municipal accounts, social media accounts and more.
With permyssion you can easily and securely share data with trusted parties, giving them consent to specific information for a selected period of time.
Another advantage of permyssion is the seamless flow of up-to-date information to you through integrations with leading financial information providers. When updating policies, Wills, property evaluation etc. these data points allow for third parties to not only update this on their systems but yours as well – eliminating the need for physical paperwork.
With permyssion, you are in control, managing your data securely, holistically and end-to-end.
Efficiency, privacy, and peace of mind. It’s time to start mending that strange relationship with your personal data.
