The Camera is Your Friend
By Rick Williams

This recently happened to me in San Diego.  The conservatee died and since his wish was to be cremated, he was sent to the crematorium.  But, since the facility had violated some regulations, there was a "seizure" and before my client could be cremated, he was transferred to Los Angeles as part of this regulatory "seizure".  It was a big mess but the staff at the crematorium assured me everything would be straightened out.  In fact, they would soon go get my client, but for identification purposes, they requested a picture from me (even though he had an ankle name tag), just so they could be sure.

A picture?!? Do you have a picture of all your clients?  Well even though I do not, I did attempt this goal a while back and was able to pull one out for this client.  I faxed the picture, which was reported to be of adequate quality.  They went to Los Angeles to identify and return the body.  He was cremated and his ashes were sent to his family in Connecticut.  Everyone was happy.  Whew!!!

This incident reminded me of the importance of photography in the life of the Fiduciary.  Keep your camera handy because you never know when it will be needed.  I like before and after pictures very much.  They could be of the client or their property.  A video of everything when you first marshal the assets and before an estate sale can be an especially helpful record.

Think of fun and creative ways to how you can use cameras in your work.  You have lots of choices between Polaroid, video, digital, and the good old "regular" camera.  Whether you are a new or an experienced Fiduciary, photography is a great opportunity to improve your communication and reduce your liability!