Digital Planning Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jennifer Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown
Listen to our digital planning podcast and learn about all things digital as to estate planning, business planning, and estate administration. Your hosts, attorneys Jennifer Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown — will guide you through the digital world with the intent to keep you informed of developments and updates in this ever-changing space.
For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen, Justin, and Ross sit down with author, martial artist, and physician, Dr. Harry Zegel, creator of the spy‑thriller Shadow Revelations and co‑founder of Shadow Suspense Press. Together, they dive into a wide‑ranging and thought‑provoking conversation about planning for authors, navigating copyrights, and protecting creative legacies.
From intellectual property ownership and publishing‑company structures to real‑world use cases of AI and the evolving relationship between AI and medicine, this episode delivers practical insights for writers, creatives, and planners alike. It's a rich discussion filled with actionable advice and forward‑looking perspectives.
On this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Justin, Jen, and Ross are joined by Dean Saxe, co-chair of the Open ID Foundation's Death and the Digital Estate Community Group (DADE CG). The discussion centers around the DADE CG's work and the whitepaper, The Unfinished Digital Estate: Culture, Law and Technology After Death. The whitepaper explores the intersection of law, technology, and culture when planning for an individual's digital data and digital assets at incapacity or death.
In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen, Justin, and Ross sit down again with Cody Barbo, CEO of Trust & Will, to discuss how technology is transforming the way families approach estate planning. From simplifying wills and trusts to making planning more accessible, Trust & Will is modernizing a process that's long overdue for innovation. Tune in as we explore how digital tools, evolving laws, and shifting planning dynamics are shaping the future of estate planning.
In this episode, Ross, Jen, and Justin sit down with David Barnard, founder and CEO of Luminary—an AI-powered estate planning platform redefining how advisors scale and deliver wealth transfer strategies. David shares his journey from leading private wealth at AllianceBernstein to launching Luminary, explores how AI is reshaping trust and estate workflows, and explains why collaboration—not disruption—is the future of estate tech. Tune in for insights on document intelligence, data architecture, privacy considerations, and the evolving landscape of estate planning in the age of AI.
In this episode, we welcome Wouter IJgosse, the founder and CEO of DecisionVault — the client data intake platform that’s transforming how estate planning attorneys gather and organize information. We dive into the origin story of DecisionVault, how it’s streamlining workflows for law firms, and what the future of estate tech looks like.
In this episode, we welcome Gregory Szewczyk, a partner at Ballard Spahr, LLP to discuss the critical but often overlooked aspect of estate planning – privacy. Join us as we unpack the complexities of privacy law and apply them to estate planning and how we can safeguard ourselves, our clients, and our families.
In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen, Justin, and Ross sit down with special guest, Richard Zack, CEO and Co-Founder of Eternal Me, to dive into the essential, yet often overlooked, topic of digital asset management. From social media accounts to crypto and cloud-stored memories, we explore the legalities of accessing, transferring, and managing your digital assets after death, what happens if no preplanning has occurred, how your digital legacy can be protected, and why planning in this area is so important.
On this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen Zegel, Justin Brown, and Ross Bruch dive into the intricacies of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) with special guest, corporate and finance attorney, Ashleigh Taylor, of Kleinbard LLC. The conversation breaks down the key aspects of this groundbreaking legislation, designed to enhance corporate transparency and combat illicit activities like money laundering and fraud. Tune in to find out what advisors need to know in connection with planning and the CTA.
Join Justin Brown, Jen Zegel, and Ross Bruch as they delve into the digital world of influencer planning on the latest episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, featuring the esteemed Laura Giles of Ballard Spahr. Tune in to gain valuable insights and learn more about estate and business planning for influencers. #digitalplanning #influencers
In this episode of the Digital Planning podcast, Jennifer Zegel, Justin Brown, and Ross Bruch discuss developments and policy considerations with the use of AI in the practice of law. The trio also examines estate planning nuances and post-mortem privacy concerns, addressing the emergence of ghost bots and personal generative AI avatars.
Cyber security impacts everyone who has a computer, tablet, mobile device, or on-line presence. With cyber-attacks occurring every day, we are all potential targets who should constantly be monitoring our cyber behaviors. In this episode, Jen Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown speak with Kris Coleman of Red Five Security to discuss our cyber security and what we can all do to improve our cyber health.
In this episode of the digital planning podcast Jen Zegel, Justin Brown, and Ross Bruch discuss planning considerations for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAO’s).
As the use of biometric information and identifiers becomes more commonplace in our everyday lives, privacy and consumer protections laws throughout the United States limit the ability to gather and use such information. In this episode, Jen Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown explore some of the issues surrounding biometric information and biometric identifiers and discuss the estate planning implications of their use.
In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen Zegel, Justin Brown, and Ross Bruch dive into the fascinating world of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence language model that has taken the world by storm. We explore some real world applications, risks, and ethical concerns surrounding the technology and discuss what is on everyone’s mind in the legal community – are jobs in jeopardy?
In this episode, Jen Zegel, Justin Brown, and Ross Bruch discuss how technology can be both a burden and a useful resource for the modern family office, with special guest Chris Dickson of EY Family Office Advisory Services. We also cover pressing issues and best practices that every family office manager, founder, and beneficiary should know.
With the recent collapse of FTX, there has been much talk about fraud with digital assets. In this episode, Ross Bruch, Jen Zegel, and Justin Brown discuss some of the more common NFT scams. From “rug pulls” to “artificial inflation scams”, NFT owners must be aware of all of the different tactics that fraudsters are implementing on NFTs.
In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown welcome Suzanne Brown Walsh and Professor Gerry Beyer to discuss the newly drafted Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act or “UEEPDA”.
In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen, Ross, and Justin have a roundtable discussion about the metaverse and estate planning considerations and issues for planning in a virtual world.
In this episode of Digital Planning Podcast, hosts Jennifer Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown welcomed Sheona McDonald, an accomplished filmmaker, who discussed her recently released documentary Dead Man's Switch: A Crypto Mystery, now available on Discovery Plus. The documentary chronicles the investigation post-collapse of Canada's largest cryptocurrency exchange, QuadrigaCX; the company's subsequent bankruptcy proceedings; and attempts to piece together what happened. Sheona also wrote the Foreword to the book Digital Asset Entanglement: Unraveling the Intersection of Estate Laws & Technology (LexisNexis/March 2022), authored by Digital Planning Podcast co-host Jen Zegel and veteran Digital Planning Podcast guest Sharon Hartung, who also join the podcast discussion. Their book focuses on the ways technology has disrupted the traditionally paper-based estate industry and raises awareness on the importance of digital asset planning and the challenges associated with managing digital assets. The book sets forth a personas-based framework to help advisors begin to analyze a client's planning needs by their digital behavior and applies this framework through a comprehensive case study of QuadrigaCX and the estate of its late CEO, Gerald Cotten. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In our first episode of 2022, Jen, Ross, and Justin speak with Joel Revill, CEO of Two Ocean Trust in Jackson Hole, WY. Two Ocean Trust is the first financial institution in the U.S. to offer a comprehensive and frictionless digital asset wealth management platform for private clients and advisors. Listen as Joel discusses the unique challenges faced by corporate fiduciaries in holding cryptocurrency.
What are NFTs (non-fungible tokens)? What is all the media hype? What do you need to know about NFTs from an estate planning perspective? In this episode of the Digital Planning Podcast, Jen, Ross, and Justin have a roundtable discussion about NFTs, and the issues and planning challenges raised by the technology.
For hundreds of years, raised seals have authenticated official government documents of all varieties. But what is the electronic equivalent? How can government bodies certify an official document in the digital age? In this episode, the team speaks with Triedata Founder and CEO Raghunath Menon, who created a fully automated online digital certification service for Court Records and who will answer these questions.
Accessing and transferring data and personal information in a deceased user’s online account can raise a number of legal and practical issues for family members. Google has emerged as a leader in the utilization of its Inactive Account Manager online tool to help mitigate these issues in advance. In this episode, Jen, Ross, and Justin talk to Google Associate Security Counsel Ayesha Minhaj to learn more about online tools and Google’s Inactive Account Manager.
In this episode, Jen, Ross, and Justin interview Trust & Will Founder/CEO Cody Barbo on Trust & Will’s solution to estate planning, along with the future of electronic wills. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
The pandemic has changed life in so many ways, including forever changing the probate process. In this episode, Jen, Ross, and Justin welcome Register of Wills of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania Lisa Grayson to discuss probate during and after COVID-19 and how the pandemic has accelerated the discussion on electronic wills.
In this episode, Jen, Ross, and Justin speak with Ed Zabar, founder and CEO of Verify-y, to discuss digital identity and his solution to identity and credential verification. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
Please join Jen, Ross, and Justin as we continue our discussion with Pamela Morgan and explore the intersection of cryptocurrency, estate planning, crypto-security, and the taxation of cryptocurrency. Pamela is founder of both Empowered Law and Third Key Solutions, LLC, a key consulting firm that works with individuals and organizations to improve the security of their crypto-holdings and ensure these assets are accessible in the event of crisis, death, or disaster. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
Please join Jen, Ross, and Justin as we speak with Pamela Morgan to discuss the intersection of cryptocurrency, estate planning, crypto-security, and the taxation of cryptocurrency. Pamela is founder of both Empowered Law and Third Key Solutions, LLC, a key consulting firm that works with individuals and organizations to improve the security of their crypto-holdings and ensure these assets are accessible in the event of crisis, death, or disaster. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In our first episode of Season 3, we welcome back Sharon Hartung, author of Your Digital Undertaker, to discuss the state of digital assets. Sharon also provides an update to the saga with the Canadian Cryptocurrency Exchange QuadrigaCX connected with the death of Gerald Cotton, and how this story serves as an example for the need for businesses to incorporate planning for digital assets and interests.
In this episode, Jen, Ross, and Justin chat with Kimberley Martin, a Director at the law firm of Worrall Moss Martin located in Tasmania, Australia about the global evolution of electronic wills, various jurisdictional treatment of electronic wills, and the impact of COVID-19 on estate planning. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In this episode Jen, Justin, and Ross speak with cybersecurity and privacy law attorney Patrick Hromisin and explore the California Consumer Privacy Act and its impact on consumers nationwide.
Jen, Ross and Justin continue the conversation with cybersecurity attorney and privacy specialist, Leeza Garber, on the timely topic of remote voting as elections in November draw near.
Jen, Ross and Justin speak with cybersecurity and privacy expert, Leeza Garber, to discuss security issues in light of the pandemic and our increasingly digital world.
Pennsylvania became the latest state to adapt RUFADAA when Governor Wolf signed Senate Bill 320 into law on July 23. In the first episode of Season 2, Jen, Ross, and Justin welcomed Pennsylvania State Senator Tom Killion and Fred Cabell to discuss Pennsylvania’s version of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act. We wanted to replay the interview with Senator Killion who sponsored SB 320 where he discussed RUFADAA and the negotiations leading up to Pennsylvania’s version of RUFADAA. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
Jen, Ross, and Justin speak with Rachel Zeldin, founder of Funerals360, an end-to-end funeral planning platform, to discuss the emerging death care industry in a digital age.
Jen, Ross, and Justin speak with Bruce Cane, founder of Inheritance Data, an asset searching platform in the United Kingdom designed to discover a decedent’s financial history in financial institutions during an estate administration. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a minefield of digital issues for individuals now working at home. In this episode, Hope Comisky, General Counsel at Pepper Hamilton LLP, joins Jen, Ross, and Justin to discuss the ethical issues that everyone should be aware of in the new era of working remotely. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In Part 2 of our two part series, Jen, Ross, and Justin continue their discussion with Karen Fahrner to discuss the sudden rise of remote online notarization in the wake of COVID-19. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In part one of our two-part series, Jen, Ross, and Justin speak with Karen Fahrner to discuss remote online notarization in the wake of COVID-19. For comments, questions, or suggestions, email us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
Jen, Ross, and Justin talk with Lee Poskanzer, CEO of Directive Communications Systems, to discuss innovative solutions to administering estates with digital assets. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This episode is part two of a two-part series exploring the digitization of health and medical data and records. Jen, Ross, and Justin continue discussing the digitization of health, the use of artificial intelligence and augmented reality in the practice of medicine, and potential considerations for health care powers of attorney as technology advances with Dr. Gupta. Dr. Atul Gupta is the Chief Medical Officer and Interventional Radiologist at Philips IGT. Philips is the global leader in image guided therapy and a leading health technology company. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This episode is part one of a two-part series exploring the digitization of health and medical data and records. Jen, Ross, and Justin sit down with Dr. Atul Gupta, Chief Medical Officer and Interventional Radiologist, at Philips IGT. Philips is the global leader in image guided therapy and a leading health technology company. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com
In the first episode of Season 2, Jen, Ross, and Justin welcome Pennsylvania State Senator Tom Killion and Fred Cabell to discuss Pennsylvania’s version of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This is part two of a two-part series where we continue our conversation with Sharon Hartung, retired aerospace engineering officer from the Royal Canadian Air Force, former technology executive at IBM, and author of Your Digital Undertaker Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada to further discuss what estate lawyers need to know about advancements in technology. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This is part one of a two-part series exploring digital asset planning and estate administration with our guest, Sharon Hartung. Sharon is a retired aerospace engineering officer from the Royal Canadian Air Force, former technology executive at IBM, and author of Your Digital Undertaker - Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada.
Digital assets are prevalent in all aspects of family planning. From sharing between and among family members to addressing digital assets in divorce and prenuptial and post nuptial agreements, and ownership of digital assets by minors. Check out this week’s episode as Jen, Ross, and Justin discuss this new twist on digital asset planning.
Please join us as our hosts explore estate planning strategies for digital assets, including establishing digital assets trusts and business entities to hold digital assets. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
In this episode our hosts explore digital and non-digital methods of creating inventories for digital assets, passwords, and other sensitive information, as well as the advantages, pitfalls, and future potential of each method.
This episode is the final part of our three-part series exploring blockchain technology. Jen, Ross and Justin continue discussing use-cases and advancements in this space with Bill Evans - founder and CEO of Liberty Fox Technologies, a technology consulting firm in the Philadelphia area. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This episode is part two of our three-part series exploring blockchain technology. Jen, Ross and Justin sit down with Bill Evans - Founder and CEO, of Liberty Fox Technologies, a technology consulting firm in the Philadelphia area - to discuss the fast-growing developments in this space. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This episode is part one of our three-part series exploring blockchain technology. Jen, Ross and Justin discuss the basic concept of a public blockchain network and the pros and cons associated with this technology, and also touch on what lawyers need to be aware of in this space.
This episode is the final part of our three-part series exploring e-wills. Jen, Ross and Justin take a deeper dive into e-wills and discuss some of the public policy and storage considerations surrounding the various types e-wills.
The Digital Planning Podcast is designed to educate individuals about all things digital in connection with estate planning, business planning, and estate administration. Your hosts, Jennifer Zegel, Ross Bruch, and Justin Brown, will guide you through the digital world and aim to keep you informed of developments and updates in this ever-changing space. This episode is part two of our three-part series on e-wills. Jen, Ross and Justin will take a deeper dive into e-wills and discuss some cases that explore the validity of e-wills. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
This episode is part one of our three part series on e-wills. Jen, Ross, and Justin will take a look at the different types of e-wills and the pros and cons of using e-wills. For comments, questions, or suggestions, e-mail us at digitalplanningpodcast@gmail.com.
How do executor’s access digital assets and what are they entitled to receive from custodians of digital assets? Listen to Justin discuss some of the roadblocks executors face in accessing digital assets under RUFADAA.
Why is planning for digital assets so important? How can we begin to plan for our digital assets? Listen to Ross introduce us to estate planning with digital assets.
In our first episode, Jen sets the scene by discussing the prevalence of digital assets and their general classifications. From blockchain to cryptocurrency to e-mail accounts and pictures, digital assets are everywhere and must be addressed.
Welcome! Jen, Ross, and Justin discuss the creation and purpose of the Digital Planning Podcast.