There was darkness on the south side of St. Augustine’s Historic District during the 2017 Nights of Lights celebration.
The skyline, illuminated with millions of white lights across the Matanzas Bay, went black just south of the Bayfront Marin House. There was a void from there to the St. Francis Barracks. Many of these uninhabitable, privately-owned homes are still being rebuilt following Hurricanes Matthew and Irma. Nestled in a guest house behind one of those darkened homes, however, is Shep Harmon, a man who turned his tragedy and loss into a big idea: My Legacy Lockbox.
Harmon, a Vietnam veteran, worked in the financial services industry almost 40 years before retiring. He and his wife of 49 years purchased an 1880s Victorian home on the St. Augustine Bayfront and made its restoration their retirement project. Over the course of a two-week period in October 2016, many aspects of the life they had built together came crashing down. Hurricane Matthew flooded the bottom floor of their home with 3 feet of polluted water. A week after Matthew hit, Harmon had prostate surgery. Consequently, the job of putting the house back together fell to his wife, Sandie, as his doctor forbid him to go anywhere near their property. Harmon was devastated.
“I was beside myself,” he said. “I couldn’t do anything to help except paperwork.”
As he sat in his rented condo recovering and helpless to do anything to help his wife with the hurricane recovery process, he realized their critical documents were not accessible and that much of what he set up following his retirement was out-of-date. Moreover, should something happen to him, would his family know how to access this information? Armed with a Wi-Fi connection and a laptop, Harmon chose to focus on what he could do to remedy the problem. He created My Legacy Lockbox.
My Legacy Lockbox is an online digital vault for not only legal documentation (wills, trusts, financial information), but also everything one would want to include to capture his or her story and legacy: memories and accomplishments, family history, heirlooms, photos and the story one wishes to share with future generations. The Lockbox is built upon the highest grade of encryption and is protected by a password that only the owner, and those he or she chooses to share it with, will know.
Less than a year later, Hurricane Irma swept across Northeast Florida and finished the job that Matthew started. The wind damage that accompanied Irma took out the second floor of the Harmons’ house.
“It felt different this time,” said Harmon. “Sure, there was all the same FEMA paperwork and legalities to take care of in regards to the property, but I realized my Legacy Lockbox had taken a weight off of me and I felt prepared.”
Knowing how much My Legacy Lockbox helped put him at ease, Harmon began talking to friends and family about his “big idea.” The response was overwhelming. Enough people expressed interest that he decided to set up Peace of Mind Estate Organization and the www.mylegacylockbox.com website. From there, he began assisting people with putting their own legacies in order. The process takes about three visits. Upon completion, the client puts in his/her own password and Peace of Mind Estate Organization relinquishes all access to the data.
Harmon recently met with the Senior Provider Information Network (S.P.I.N.) and several members asked him to come speak to their organizations and businesses. He also appeared at the Boomers and Seniors Expo and had a similar response.
“Over the last several months, since launching My Legacy Lockbox, I have realized that my fears and concerns are not just my own — that all of us struggle with the legacy we leave behind.” said Harmon. “My Legacy Lockbox has the solution all in one place, secure and ready for when it is needed most.”
If you would like to learn more about Harmon’s My Legacy Lockbox, visit www.mylegacylockbox.com, email info@pomestate.com or call him directly at (904) 429-7273 between 9 am and 5 pm Monday through Friday.
