LifeSite is a partner of Haven Life Plus — a suite of services that helps policyholders live healthier, fuller and more protected lives. Haven Life Plus is an innovative rider included in the Haven Term policy that gives customers access to free or discounted benefits including an online will service and family health clinic services. Learn more about Haven Life Plus here.
Pop quiz, hotshot: Where are your most important documents right now? You know, your birth certificate. Your will. Your third-grade spelling bee participation award.
Next question: Do you think that’s the best possible place for it?
If not, well, you’re not alone. Haven Life discovered recently that a whopping 88 percent of adults store important documents in a file cabinet, folder or not at all—which is to say, 88 percent of adults keep at least some important documents in the worst possible place. (Well, maybe short of folding them up into paper airplanes and launching them into the ocean.)
Just as alarming, 37 percent of married couples have no idea how to access their partner’s important digital accounts (including email, financial accounts, and social media logins), while nearly 70 percent of adults admit they could benefit from a better, more organized way to store and share important documents. (We’d say, based on that first statistic, the number should be more like 88 percent, but we digress.)
All of which is why a service like LifeSite is so necessary. In short, LifeSite is a seamless way to securely store your documents online, and share them with your loved ones whenever you need them. In other words, it’s a 21st-century solution to a problem as old as time—namely, where to keep your important stuff.
LifeSite history
LifeSite was founded in 2015 to modernize how people store documents online, merging military-grade security with an intuitive user interface. It’s an easy (and safe) way to store your most important virtual paperwork and passwords while ensuring that vital data will be accessible for your family when they need it.
As Chris Wong, LifeSite CEO and co-founder, puts it, “LifeSite was created to facilitate everyday personal information sharing among loved ones, as well as provide peace of mind for our own families.”
LifeSite cost
LifeSite lets you create an online safe deposit box at a price that’s affordable for you and your family.
The LifeSite Plus service costs $79.99 per year for a family plan with up to 5 users, 5 gigs of storage and five backup contacts. (This cost also includes the mobile app and Amazon Alexa* functionality.)
LifeSite is one of the services offered through Haven Life Plus – a rider to the Haven Term policy that gives policyholders access to additional benefits to help them live a healthier, fuller and more protected live. Haven Term policyholders can simply log in to their account center and retrieve their Haven Life Plus promo code to start using LifeSite for free. If you need assistance locating your promo code, feel free to reach out to customer support.
How LifeSite works
Setting up an online safe deposit box is thankfully very straightforward.
The process includes:
- Deciding who else should have access
- Uploading your important documents (a process made easier by LifeSite’s mobile app, which lets you simply take photos of said documents)
- Linking your LifeSite to important online accounts, such as your bank
- Organizing your documents according to LifeSite’s useful categorization system, or customizing your storage according to what works best for you
Maybe it goes without saying, but you should know that LifeSite cannot see and does not share any of your personal information, or any of the documents you store, with Haven Life or MassMutual. This is for your (and your family’s) eyes only.
Who LifeSite is right for?
If you bank online, have a Facebook (or Twitter or Instagram or, um, MySpace) profile, or just want to make sure that your loved ones can easily access your important information in a pinch, LifeSite’s online safe deposit box might be worth your while.
If you’re in one of the following categories, the service is also valuable:
- Your family is growing. And growing families come with a growing pile of important documents. LifeSite helps you keep those files organized and accessible—whether someone needs them in an emergency, or just needs to access an important immunization record at your child’s school.
- You’re buying a home or refinancing a loan. Ask anyone who’s ever taken out a mortgage: Tracking down all your important financial documents is no fun at all. Having them in your pocket, via LifeSite’s handy mobile app? Still not “fun,” per se, but a heck of a lot better than rummaging through old filing cabinets.
- You’re in the digital-first generation. If you’ve lived most of your life online, chances are, many of your important files are online, too. With military-grade encryption, this is one of the safer places to store those online documents.
Easy + Simple + Affordable
“I'm so happy I chose Haven Life for my policy needs. The entire process was quick, easy, stress-free and convenient. Their customer service is top-notch.” - Sandra
Learn moreHelpful tips for using LifeSite
Setting up an account with LifeSite only takes a few minutes, but getting the most out of that account will require a little extra time. (Emphasis on “a little”.) Here are a few ways to maximize your experience.
Talk to potential “collaborators”
“Collaborator” is LifeSite’s term for anyone who shares access to your files. (You probably call them family members or trusted advisors.) But obviously, you’ll want to make sure everyone understands that you are storing your information with LifeSite, and how to access those files when needed. You’ll also want to encourage them to download the mobile app, in case you need them to access your info when you can’t for whatever reason. (Incapacitated by injury, stuck on the L train, etc.) Best of all, you can let them know that they, too, have access to all LifeSite has to offer.
Take a quick inventory of your important documents
Your ID (including your birth certificate and passport). Your mortgage. Your will and end-of-life plan. Documentation that you have insurance (fire, flood, term life, etc). Documents related to your health and health care. Passwords. All of these and more can be easily digitized (cough, mobile app, cough) and stored safely with LifeSite. You can also designate exactly who should have access to these documents and when. Forget something? LifeSite will help guide you through the process so nothing is overlooked.
Don’t forget your online accounts
In the relatively new worlds of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, a clear set of guidelines for who should have access to your username and password in the event of your demise remains murky. Same for email accounts. Getting LifeSite is a simple way to articulate who exactly should have access and to ensure that that person (or persons) has everything he or she needs.
Download and set up the mobile app
Available for iOS and Android phones, the LifeSite mobile app is a handy way to make sure your important info is essentially in your pocket at all times. (Except safer.) This means you won’t need to chase down documents you’ve left at home or worry if you’re in an emergency room and need information stat.
Setting up a safe deposit box for your important documents is a critical step in taking care of your loved ones in the case of an emergency. And with more of our lives taking place online, getting an online deposit box only makes sense. LifeSite makes it easy and secure.
Source: Haven Life internal research, July 2018
*Amazon, Alexa, and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Louis Wilson is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in a wide array of publications, both online and in print. He often writes about travel, sports, popular culture, men’s fashion and grooming, and more. He lives in Austin, Texas, where he has developed an unbridled passion for breakfast tacos, with his wife and two children. This article is sponsored by Haven Life Insurance Agency. Opinions are his own.
Haven Life Plus (“Plus”) is the marketing name for the Plus Rider, a rider to the Haven Term insurance policy that is available to Haven Term policyholders (except in NY, FL, SD, WA, and ND). The Plus Rider is included as part of the Haven Term policy, and offers access to “Plus Benefits”, which are additional products, services, and benefits. Although the Plus Rider is not available in California, California residents may still be able to opt in to certain benefits and services available under this rider. Neither Haven Life nor MassMutual is responsible for the provision of the benefits and services made accessible under the Plus Rider, which are provided by third party vendors (partners). Participation in the services and benefits provided are optional.
