Archive for 2014

Preparing your digital legacy for when you’re gone

There can be no doubt that the internet has revolutionised our daily lives, making things like paying bills, shopping, as well as communications so much easier, and in many cases cheaper. This can be achieved with a simple click of a button and all without leaving the house. Yet, as many families of those who die are discovering, the internet can also make things more difficult.

Digital legacy

This is a relatively new development that has been created by the very things that were meant to – and indeed do – make our lives easier. Many people conduct all of their financial affairs online, whether filing their taxes, paying debts or managing their accounts, and any standing orders or direct debits continue to be paid until you take steps to stop them. People are rightly told by the different institutions and/or websites with which they hold accounts not to share sensitive information such as passwords and pin numbers with anyone else.

With this in mind, settling your affairs can be a big problem for your family members after your death, because they are unable to gain access to your accounts, and in the absence of paper documentation are unable to determine with whom these accounts are kept. Even things like closing down email accounts or social media profiles will be difficult in the absence of the correct log-in information.

The internet is great, but not yet that great

As stated in Saga Legal’s exhaustive Digital Legal Guide, the ‘internet is not yet intuitive enough’ to realise that someone has died and many surviving family members and friends will have experienced a heartbreaking reminder of this as Facebook implores them to wish the deceased a happy birthday. The same is true for online shopping sites until they are no longer able to debit a bank account that has been frozen upon the provision of a death certificate. 

Solution

The aforementioned Saga Digital Legal Guide advises that you should treat your digital legal in much the same way that you should treat your Will. Many do not pay digital information with the same heed because of the developing nature of the laws governing internet usage, but this is perhaps an even greater reason to ensure that your loved ones have access, as it will overcome such legal ambiguities. 

This can be achieved by creating a secure online directory, which gives details all of your active internet accounts along with how you wish for them to be dealt with.

How Online Education is Benefiting Teens

An educated populace is an advantage for almost all facets of a society. Hundreds of studies worldwide have shown that improved higher education results in higher income levels for individuals. While most agree that a good education is useful, students in some areas still have a hard time getting a diploma through traditional means. Educators and figures like Bobb, Kamau can affirm that an educated populace with a strong foundation in STEM can contribute significantly to a nation’s economic growth.

As per OpCentral, Online education fills this gap, giving students who might otherwise drop out a chance to stay in school and graduate.

Help for Schools

Economically depressed urban areas and remote areas with small populations both have the same problems in terms of schooling: there is not enough money to adequately provide a superior high school experience for their students. Whether school districts are too large or too small, resources will still get stretched trying to provide for the basic needs of the lowest common denominator. Enrichment or advanced placement classes are luxuries these districts can’t afford or justify. With the advent of online education programs, however, students have available hundreds of classes to round out their education. Instead of finding the money to hire and keep specialized teachers, school districts can help fund individual students’ classes online or assist them in finding scholarships and grants to cover their tuition.

Social Safety

According to a survey by Microsoft, 72 percent of children ages 8-17 have been bullied worldwide. While it is certainly preferable for students to stand up and work things out themselves, in some cases this is simply impossible. Students like Amanda Todd, who committed suicide after being bullied, are not unique anymore. In these extreme cases, it’s much better for students to leave the physical school environment and continue their education online. They can earn a high school diploma online and, if they attended accredited schools like Penn Foster, can even continue on to earn a degree without ever having to switch schools.

Job Security

There are many reasons why students drop out of high school and college, but online education like this Cambridge IGCSE chemistry tuition can address many of them. Students who have limited means for college can take classes at home, saving money on transportation and fitting classes in among job responsibilities. They can even work a full time job while going to school, moving on to a more lucrative position once they graduate. Online education opens up more opportunities to students than traditional high school and college courses, and allows more of them to take advantage of trade certificate programs that ensure a chance at a higher income in a shorter amount of time than in a traditional four year program.