Santa Monica, CA - We all know that the death of a loved one can leave us with many unanswered questions and affairs to settle on their behalf. A time of grief and other heightened emotions give way for family disputes as everyone feels that they knew what the deceased’s wishes would have been. The only point of reference we have had up to this point is their will, which is more often than not an impersonal legal document which, in most families’ cases, doesn’t even exist.
A large percentage of people around the world today run the risk of dying intestate (without a will) and having their estate distributed according to their country’s intestacy laws, which may not reflect their wishes at all.
Prince, Amy Winehouse, Martin Luther King Jr. and Tupac Shakur are a few famous cases of early/unexpected deaths where no will was left behind, leading to very public cases of fallout because of how the law handled their estates in lieu of a will.
Dying intestate leaves behind a legal nightmare for our loved ones that can last for years after our death as our estate assets are frozen and divided up by a judge in probate courts.
These courts would be obliged to follow outdated or inapplicable intestacy laws that do not recognise the nuances of our relationships, such as potential unmarried partners, stepchildren, close immediate relatives, and good friends. The courts more often than not disregard these relationships. If we die intestate, our estate assets would be awarded to the closest surviving legal next of kin on our family tree line by the court, who in some cases end up being a distant relative to whom we may have rarely spoken, and perhaps wouldn't have even considered choosing as beneficiary to our inheritance.
An innovate new app called Obol is solving this problem with a modern-day approach to our age-old tradition of leaving wills, that makes it easier for us to share last words, update wishes, and share important information with the right people when our time with our loved ones expires.
The Obol app enables users to provide much-needed comfort and closure to their family and friends at the most difficult time for them. Personal messages can be recorded for contacts from the user’s past and present, and can be left to solve differences, send apologies or appreciation, and to prevent disputes at a time when loved ones are grieving and emotional. These messages are stored and shared confidentially with the people the user chooses, providing a lasting memory of them for their loved ones. Messages can be updated, deleted and changed at any time live on the app.
Mir Ahmad, a British entrepreneur and the CEO of Obol was determined to use his 20 years of expertise in the Information Management industry to provide a platform for users to store personal information, share personalised messages, and send important documents on their passing.
Obol CEO Mir Ahmad said:
“Obol is more than just a product and service. Obol represents a movement for change. And change is difficult because we’ve spent our lives thinking that happiness comes from financial gains and instant gratification. Today we make more than ever but we’re unhappier than ever. And the common denominator is the sacrifice of our personal relationships.
Obol is trying to remind everyone of our shared mortality, and that one day everything we worked so hard for will be gone. But the people we love will remain. By giving people an output to think about what they would say in the event of their unexpected passing, Obol hopes to bring the realisation that it is not what you leave behind, but who you leave behind. And if we can just change the perspective of one mind, we could contribute to a better future for one person. This is why Obol calls it insuring a legacy. It’s your words, your thoughts, your advice that you don’t want to leave unsaid.
They may not acknowledge or appreciate it yet, but it’s the next generation who will receive the real benefit from Obol through the messages left behind for them by the loved ones that will pass."
The Obol app was only launched two months ago, and OBOL is already the proud custodian of over 100,000 personal messages created by its users. The app allows users to create a profile which houses personal messages in written, audio and video formats while securely storing all of their important legal documents and vital information that they wish to pass on such as: passwords, information of insurance policies, bank details and details of business assets. These documents can be updated instantly on the Obol app as circumstances change.
The Obol app may be the most important app you download in life to protect your legacy when the inevitable happens, whenever it happens.
While wills remain the only legally recognised process for enforcing final wishes, Obol brings a refreshing new approach to by giving you autonomy over your legacy, with your final words and wishes for every relationship, updated over time and completely confidential only to the recipients you decide.
The Obol App is available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play for most iPhone and Android devices. More information on the platform and organisation can be found at theobolapp.com.
Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u2RKoKhnCU