Welcome to our very first issue of the Forward Inheritance newsletter. Each month we'll share what's new at Forward, update you on new FAM features, introduce you to new Advisors and Businesses who have joined the Forward Neighborhood, share the estate-planning news worth knowing, and more.
From the CEO
Our CEO, Bryan Walley, blogs regularly about estate planning. This month we highlight his Mid-Year Estate Checklist, a short plain-English rundown of tasks you want to make sure to complete now that we're halfway through the year.
Only about 30% of American adults have a will or estate plan (2024 Caring.com survey). August is National Make-A-Will Month, and with the school year starting, it's a natural time to fix that before the year-end crunch. If finishing or updating your plan has been on your list, now's a good time. Pick up where you left off in FAM.
What's New in FAM (Forward Asset Manager)
We released FAM 7.8 last month. Here's what changed:
The FAM home dashboard: your family's whole estate at a glance
The most important update is related to shared estates. When two or more people own an estate, you can now choose who's acting on the plan, so spouses, partners, and co-trustees can manage things without stepping on each other.
We also started translating FAM into other languages, cleaned up the way you review uploaded documents, and steadied bank connections so syncing is more robust and the most recent sync is easy to see.
New in the Forward Neighborhood
The Neighborhood is where Forward members find vetted Advisors and Businesses, plus referrals to participating partners. In July we welcomed three new Businesses and five new Advisors.
New Businesses
Autumn — Estate Planning
LTCareNav — Retiree Services
Girl Math Capital — Wealth Management
New Advisors
Michael Banner — Long-Term Care Insurance Specialist
Tony Adamo, AIF® — Wealth Advisors Who Care
Chris Ritacca — Wealth Advisors Who Care
Kevin Christensen, CFP® — Aligned Financial Planning
Jonathan Kovach — 1847Financial
Neighborhood Spotlight: Finology Software (Student Loans)
At Forward, we're always on the lookout for tools that make your financial life simpler. We've partnered with Finology Software to give you a clear picture of your student loans, at no cost.
Your Finology Software portal lets you:
- See every student loan, federal and private, in one place
- Get a personalized payoff plan for your private loans and credit cards
- Connect with a specialist for federal repayment and forgiveness strategy
Setup takes just a few minutes, and it's free to get started. Get started with Finology.
Industry & Legal Update
The rules around wills are modernizing fast. A couple of developments worth knowing:
- In North Carolina, an electronic-will storage law took effect Jan 1, 2026. Wills can now be stored electronically and admitted to probate, so families don't have to track down a single paper original.
- New York signed its Electronic Wills Act, but it doesn't take effect until Dec 12, 2027. Until then, traditional paper wills with proper witnessing remain the standard.
- Digital assets keep coming up. Modern plans should name someone to manage online accounts, crypto, and cloud storage, without putting passwords in the will itself.
📢 Follow the LIVE Coalition for ongoing legal updates and ways to get involved.
This is general information, not legal advice. Laws vary by state and change often, so consult a qualified attorney for your situation.
Get Involved
- Refer a friend or family member so everyone gets a plan.
- Join our next webinar on August 18.