OneStream Announces Full Exercise of Underwriters' Option to Purchase Additional Shares in Secondary Offering of Class A Common Stock

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be sucked into the plot of a Tom Clancy novel, millions of Americans are getting a taste of it this week. A large-scale cyberattack, focused on telecom companies and internet service providers including AT&T and Verizon, has Americans concerned that their messages and communications may have been exposed to Chinese spies. The hacking campaign has been called “Salt Typhoon” by Microsoft (there are other “Typhoons”), and is one of the largest cyberattacks in history—and it’s ongoing. As of Tuesday, U.S. officials said they were still trying to expel the hackers, who have been traced back to the Chinese government, from American systems. Issues related to the cyberattack go back months, too . Since then, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) have been working with telecom companies to help find the hackers and prevent them from digging further into their systems. As for where things currently stand, here’s what you need to know, and how to protect yourself. | What do we know about the telecom cyberattack so far? The cyberattack has been ongoing, as noted, and officials are still trying to shore things up. On Wednesday, Senators received a classified briefing about the situation, and according to reporting from the Washington Post , the “broad and significant” campaign has resulted in the exposure and theft of a “large amount” of sensitive and private data and information. So, private messages and phone calls may have been intercepted, and the hacking campaign even attempted to infiltrate both presidential campaigns earlier this year; one person from Donald Trump’s campaign did have calls intercepted. However, the FBI and CISA say that the number of people affected in the U.S. is small. “We have identified that PRC-affiliated actors have compromised networks at multiple telecommunications companies to enable the theft of customer call records data, the compromise of private communications of a limited number of individuals who are primarily involved in government or political activity, and the copying of certain information that was subject to U.S. law enforcement requests pursuant to court orders,” reads a joint statement released last month. Should you be worried about the cyberattack? It depends. Unless you’re a high-profile political operative, or something similar, it’s probably unlikely that you’d be a target of the hackers. But the hackers have, obviously, been able to access call records and metadata—so if you can’t sleep at night knowing that you may be exposed, it may be worth taking precautions. The main issue is that many people use unencrypted communication devices, leaving them vulnerable to cyberattacks. Beyond that, as NBC News reports , telecom companies largely rely on systems that do not use end-to-end encryption, mostly so that law enforcement agencies and intelligence groups can track people’s communications. How can you protect yourself amid the cyberattack? CISA and other organizations did release guidelines for hardening defenses against cyberattacks on Wednesday, but they are mostly for large organizations, such as telecom companies and internet service providers. Perhaps the most impactful thing individuals can do to safeguard their communications is to use services incorporating end-to-end encryption—such as messaging services like Signal, rather than standard SMS text messaging. That should reduce the chance that your communications could be intercepted or exposed. Furthermore, you should use a device that regularly receives software and security updates, and utilize features such as multifactor authentication. The application deadline for Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards is this Friday, December 6, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Allowing two kickoff return touchdowns and missing an extra point all in the final few minutes added up to the a third consecutive game in excruciating fashion. The underlying reason for this slide continuing was a problem long before that. An offense led by that was among the NFL's best for a long stretch of the season put up just nine points and 169 yards for the first three-plus quarters against Dallas before falling behind 20-9 and teeing off on the Cowboys' conservative defense. “We just couldn’t really get it going,” said , whose lengthy touchdown with 21 seconds left masked that he had just three catches for 16 yards through three quarters. “We’ve got to find a way to start faster and sustain drives, and that’s everybody: the whole coaching staff and the offensive players just going out there and figuring out ways that we can stay on the field.” This is not a new problem for Washington, which had a season-low 242 yards in a and 264 yards four days later at Philadelphia. Since returning from a rib injury that last month, Daniels has completed just under 61% of his passes, after 75.6% over his first seven professional starts. Daniels and have insisted this isn't about injury. The coaching staff blamed a lack of adequate practice time, but a full week of it before facing the Cowboys did not solve the problem. It is now fair to wonder if opponents have seen enough film of to figure it out. “I think teams and coordinators are going to see what other teams have success against us and try to figure out how they could incorporate that into their scheme," Daniels said after going 12 of 22 for 80 yards passing through three quarters in the Dallas game. "We’ve been in third and longer a lot these past couple games, so that’s kind of where you get into the exotic pressures and stuff like that. We’ve just got to be better on first and second downs and stay ahead of the chains.” Daniels has a point there, and it predates this losing streak. The Commanders have converted just 36% of third-down opportunities (27 for 75) over their past seven games after 52% (31 for 60) in their first five. That challenge doesn't get any easier with Tennessee coming to town Sunday. The Titans, despite being 3-8, have the second-best third-down defense in the league at 31.6%. What’s working The defense kept the Commanders in the game against Dallas, allowing just 10 points until the fourth quarter and 20 total before kickoff return touchdowns piled on to the other side of the scoreboard. Even Cooper Rush's 22-yard touchdown pass to Luke Schoonmaker with five minutes left came after a turnover that gave the Cowboys the ball at the Washington 44. The defense spending more than 35 minutes on the field certainly contributed to fatigue as play wore on. What needs help The running game that contributed to a 7-2 start has taken a hit, in part because of The Commanders got 145 yards on the ground because Daniels had 74 on seven carries, but running backs combined for just 57. Daniels could not say how much the rushing attack stalling has contributed to the offense going stagnant. “You’ve got to be able to run the ball, keep the defense honest,” he said. "We got to execute the plays that are called in, and we didn’t do a good job of doing that.” Stock up Linebacker Frankie Luvu keeps making the case to be Adam Peters' best free agent signing. He and fellow offseason addition tied for a team-high eight tackles, and Luvu also knocked down three passes against Dallas. Stock down Kicker Austin Seibert going wide left on the point-after attempt that would have tied the score with 21 seconds left was his third miss of the game. He also was short on a 51-yard field goal attempt and wide left on an earlier extra point. Seibert, signed a week into the season after Cade York struggled in the opener, and was 22 of 22 on extra points before injuring his right hip and missing the previous two games. He brushed off his health and the low snap from Tyler Ott while taking responsibility for not connecting. “I made the decision to play, and here we are,” Seibert said. “I just wasn’t striking it well. But it means a lot to me to be here with these guys, so I just want to put my best foot moving forward.” Injuries Robinson's sprained ankle and fellow running back from a late kickoff return that led to him being hospitalized for further evaluation are two major immediate concerns. Quinn said Monday that Ekeler and starting right tackle Andrew Wylie are in concussion protocol. It's unclear if Robinson will be available against Tennessee, which could mean Chris Rodriguez Jr. getting elevated from the practice squad to split carries with Jeremy McNichols. The Commanders still have not gotten cornerback Marshon Lattimore into a game since from New Orleans. from a hamstring injury, and the secondary could use him against Calvin Ridley, who's coming off at Houston. Key number 17 — Handoffs to a running back against Dallas, a significant decrease from much of the season before this losing streak. Next steps Don't overlook the Titans with the late bye week coming immediately afterward. The Commanders opened as more than a touchdown favorite, but after the results over the weekend, BetMGM Sportsbook had it as 5 1/2 points Monday. ___ AP NFL: Stephen Whyno, The Associated PressNoneMaui Invitational scores, takeaways: Iowa State cruises over Colorado, salvages two wins in tournament

European leaders have hailed the end of Bashar al-Assad's brutal rule in Syria as a moment of hope -– but they also view his sudden toppling as fraught with dangers. As the war-torn country charts a new course, Europe is anxious to avoid fresh turmoil that could send migrants and jihadists once again heading to the continent. "This historic change in the region offers opportunities but is not without risks," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. "Europe is ready to support safeguarding national unity and rebuilding a Syrian state that protects all minorities." For now, still just hours after the end of more than five decades of domination by the Assad family, some initial signs appear promising. As jubilant Syrians celebrated what they prayed would be the end of over 13 years of civil war, streams of refugees headed back home across the border from neighboring countries. Meanwhile, the Islamist-led rebels who swept into Damascus after a lightning advance have vowed to maintain state institutions, restore order and protect all citizens. But it is still very early days for those yearning to heal the festering wound in the heart of the Middle East. There are profound suspicions about Syria's new would-be leaders. The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) that spearheaded the takeover is rooted in Syria's al-Qaida branch but broke ties with the group in 2016. It is currently listed as a "terrorist" organization by Western governments. After years of fighting the country is controlled by a rag-tag assortment of armed groups often backed by rival international powers. "There are already concerns over what comes next, given the profound failure of recent regional transitions such as in Libya," said Julien Barnes-Dacey of the European Council on Foreign Relations. But, he insisted: "Europeans need, first and foremost, to concentrate on the great opportunity presented by Assad's demise, recognizing (that) the core driver of instability, brutal violence and refugee outflows from Syria has departed the scene." The war in Syria -- unleashed by Assad's bloody crackdown on protests in 2011 -- helped spark a migrant crisis that saw over one million people arrive in Europe in 2015. The vast influx tested EU unity and continues to reverberate today, as far-right parties tap anti-migrant sentiment to rise in the polls. Some in Europe were quick to jump on the changes in Syria to try to halt arrivals of asylum seekers from the country and look to start sending people back. Austria on Monday said it was suspending all Syrian asylum applications and preparing the "deportation" of refugees back to Syria. Germany said it was freezing asylum requests due to the "unclear situation". "The situation is extremely volatile. We were taken by surprise," said one EU official. "We of course want to avoid a Libyan-style scenario, which would cause a massive migration crisis." Barnes-Dacey said Europe should throw its weight behind a renewed United Nations-backed political process for Syria, ramp up humanitarian support, engage key player Turkey and try to encourage HTS to be moderate. "Although European states need to approach the situation with considerable caution and modesty, they should nonetheless quickly and meaningfully work to incentivize a positive trajectory," he said. "The biggest hope should now lie in the agency of Syrians themselves." A key concern for Europe, the United States and other regional powers is to prevent any power vacuum in Syria allowing a resurgence of the Islamic State jihadist group. IS -- which had seized control of swathes of Syria and Iraq during the civil war -- lost territorial control of its "caliphate" at the hands of U.S.-led forces in 2019. But jihadist fighters still operate in remote desert areas of Syria. Foreign fighters from IS launched a string of attacks on European soil including in 2015 in Paris and 2016 in Brussels. Thousands of jihadists from the West and their families, who their home countries have so far refused to repatriate, are also detained in camps in Syria run by Kurdish forces. In a sign of the concern, U.S. warplanes on Sunday carried out strikes on 75 IS targets in Syria, warning it would "remain vigilant" against the emergence of "terrorist" groups. "I think there will be a continuing US-led effort to push back against a re-emergence of IS," said Ian Lesser, of the German Marshall Fund think tank. Lesser said that on a broader issue, Europe faced a "difficult equation" if it sought to engage with the new leadership in Syria, given its previous links to jihadist extremists. "Europe will need to balance trying to get a more secular outcome and not provoking conflict with any nascent regime," he said. HTS and its leader are under EU sanctions and Brussels said Monday it was "not currently engaging" with the group. "We will need to assess not just their words but also their actions," an EU spokesman said.Dexter: Original Sin will take audiences back in time to find out how the man became the monster — er, the monster-slayer — in the Showtime thriller. The prequel series, which premieres on Paramount+ with Showtime on Friday, December 13, takes place 15 years before we first met Dexter (then played by Michael C. Hall , who still narrates the new series) in the original Dexter . Taking over the title role in this iteration is Patrick Gibson , who has the character’s steely-eyed stares and smug sauntering style down to a science. With new characters being introduced in some familiar settings, the new series will bring some new details about Dexter’s past to light, but it will also inevitably retread some familiar territory from the first show, which had ample flashbacks. Here’s what to remember about Dexter ‘s past before Dexter: Original Sin . Dexter didn’t find out until he was a fully grown serial murderer that he had a big brother who was also running around slaughtering people. The Ice Truck Killer who stalked Dexter was actually Brian Moser, his slightly older brother who was not adopted (or even mentioned) by Harry. Dexter only found out about Brian because the Ice Truck Killer left clues that were tailored to catch his attention — reminding him of scenes from his past as part of the Morgan family. Laura Moser was the single mother to Brian and Dexter and worked as a confidential informant for Harry and the Miami-Metro Police Department against the Colombian cartel. She was brutally dismembered right in front of Brian and Dexter, who were left wading in her blood inside a shipping container. Harry adopted Dexter as his own upon finding him in the container, but Brian was sent into the foster system. In flashbacks in Dexter , it became clear that he was not a normal teenager with typical feelings or tendencies. In fact, he had an innate bloodlust that his father recognized and tried to quell with hunting trips, to the exclusion of his daughter Debra. Harry wanted to protect Dexter from himself — particularly his self-destructive impulses. 'Dexter: Original Sin' Clip Reveals Dex's First Day on the Job Though Harry tried to find other ways for Dexter to quench his thirst for blood, so to speak, he soon gave in and encouraged him to kill someone when he discovered Nurse Mary was poisoning Harry and other patients in the hospital after his heart attack. Once Dexter began to kill, Harry worked hard to create a framework for his adoptive son to work within that, if he followed it to the letter, would keep his morality and freedom intact. The rules included being certain that the mark was worthy of being murdered and leaving no trace of evidence behind. Even after Harry’s death, Dexter worked to strictly adhere to this code in every kill. Randy Tepper/Showtime Dexter repeatedly revealed that he felt empty on the inside, and it was Harry who taught him to feign normal human feelings and social interactions around others — even if it meant faking a smile in his own family photos. Little by little throughout Dexter , we learn that Harry Morgan had several affairs while married to Doris, including with Laura Morgan and another confidential informant. Though Harry is definitely the most common star of Dexter’s flashback memories, his adoptive mother Doris is also a fixture of his past. She died when Deb was 16 and didn’t know about Dexter’s violent tendencies, even if she didn’t totally understand him at times. Dexter: Original Sin , Series Premiere, Streaming, Friday, December 13, Paramount+ with Showtime, Sunday, December 15, 10/9c, Paramount+ with Showtime More Headlines: 8 Things to Remember About Dexter’s Childhood Before ‘Original Sin’ Ryan Seacrest Reveals Dating Status to Shocked ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Contestants Your Chance to Win ‘Blue Bloods’ Collector’s Issue Signed by Bridget Moynahan Holly Robinson Peete Makes ‘Home Alone’ Confession in ‘LEGO Masters Holiday Bricktacular’ Sneak Peek (VIDEO) ‘Jeopardy!’ Boss Announces Solution to Big Tournament of Champions Problem

Photo: Rob Kruyt, BIV. Holiday shoppers pass a seasonal installation as they walk through Pacific Centre. A combination of factors is set to make this holiday season unlike any other for B.C. retailers. While good news comes from an Ipsos and BMO survey in September, which found that British Columbians expected to spend more money during the holidays than did Canadians in any other province, most dynamics making this year distinctive have the potential to hurt retail sales. The federal government’s mandate that retailers remove the goods and services tax (GST) on some but not all taxable items between December 14 and February 15 is the most unexpected of the challenges merchants must manage. This is because the government has never enacted this kind of tax holiday. Wine is one of the products included in the so-called “GST holiday,” but even wine merchants told BIV they were not impressed with the initiative, which forces them to do more work during their busiest time of year. Marquis Wine Cellars owner John Clerides told BIV he believes the tax change is a haphazard policy and one that was put in place for political purposes. “I had to get my CFO to look into it,” he said. “We have to print new tags and do all sorts of stuff, which the consumer doesn't care about. All they care about is lower prices. If that helps sales, then great. I don’t know if it will as this is unprecedented.” Wine sales spike in the final three months of the year and Clerides called the time a “make-or-break quarter,” and one when he does not want to waste resources on changing price tags and point-of-sale system technology. British Columbia Liquor Distribution Branch data for wine wholesales back up his claim that the final quarter of the year by far has the most sales. The province’s monopoly alcohol distributor sold nearly $317 million worth of wine wholesale in October through December last year. That was more than 21.5 per cent above an average of $260.8 million in each of the following three quarters. Canada Post strike adds burden for retailers Clerides’ staff has also shouldered heavier workloads since Canada Post workers went on strike in mid-November. Marquis Wine Cellars provides free delivery for online customers who buy more than $250, he said. Clerides uses Canada Post to deliver orders because its delivery rates are lower than those from Purolator, FedEx and other delivery companies, he said. The strike means that he is getting his staff to make local deliveries. In cases where online buyers purchase less than $250 worth of wine and need to pay shipping fees, the cost has gone up to the point where Clerides said he believes he has lost sales. Some retailers told BIV that they have been frustrated with orders getting stuck in transit. Yaletown retailer Durriya Rehan, who owns Fine Finds, told BIV that she shipped an advent calendar to a customer on November 12. It got stuck somewhere in Canada Post’s distribution network when workers went on strike. The customer cancelled the order and Rehan said she felt compelled to refund his money because he did not receive his purchase. Arkun Durmaz, the Canadian president of Istanbul, Turkey-based Mavi Jeans, told BIV he has five stores in Metro Vancouver but most of his company’s North American business is wholesale. The Canada Post strike has hindered his ability to ship inventory to resellers. It has also caused many payments from his resellers to get stuck in the mail, he said. Durriya Rehan, who owns Yaletown’s Fine Finds, told BIV that she has had to reimburse customers for online sales because the Canada Post strike meant their purchases were lost in transit. | Rob Kruyt, BIV Some of those resellers have shifted to using e-transfers but Durmaz said Mavi Jeans is forced to wait for accounts-receivable payments that were made by mailed cheques until the strike is over. “More consumers are going to be going into bricks-and-mortar stores if they feel like they're not able to get products when they buy online,” said retail consultant and Retail Insider Media owner Craig Patterson. "This could be a year that is a better time for retailers that have physical locations.” Later shopping season could reduce retail sales Retailers are hoping that having a late Black Friday does not crimp overall sales. Black Friday this year fell on November 29—the latest possible date as it follows American Thanksgiving, which falls on the fourth Thursday of the month. Last year, Black Friday fell on November 24, meaning that there were five more shopping days between Black Friday and Christmas. Initial data from Salesforce found that online Black Friday sales in Canada were down six per cent to $309 million when compared with last year. By contrast, global data shows Black Friday sales increased five per cent year over year to $74.4 billion. Canada’s comparatively sluggish economy and GDP growth may be to blame. Canadian GDP growth last year was 1.1 per cent, compared with 2.5 per cent in the U.S., according to the World Bank. Moneris data released today found that B.C. shoppers were more enthusiastic about Black Friday than were counterparts in the rest of Canada. B.C. shoppers spent 34-per-cent more on Black Friday than they had on the Friday one week earlier, according to Moneris. That compares with a sales bump of 29-per-cent nationally. Canadian retailers in the past decade have learned to count on holiday shopping starting with a bang on Black Friday. That holiday shopping bonanza was historically largely a phenomenon that stayed south of the border, and was not in Canada until the aught years, said DIG360 retail consultant and owner David Ian Gray, who closely tracks Black Friday sales. His company teams up with Angus Reid Group to survey shoppers and issue annual reports. Gray told BIV that last year 49 per cent of respondents bought at least one item that was part of a Black Friday promotion, while 73 per cent of respondents either browsed Black Friday deals or purchased an item that was on sale. Both of those figures were the highest since DIG360 started tracking Black Friday interest in 2010. Gray said he does not expect that the share of Canadians who participated in Black Friday shopping this year to be considerably more than last year’s level because he said he thinks there is a large slice of the population that just buys items when needed, avoids hyped sales promotions and views the consumer frenzy with disdain. “There will be a sizable minority that wants to opt out,” he said. Another phenomenon prompting a later holiday shopping season is the GST’s slated removal from a range of goods starting December 14. Items to be newly GST-free include children’s clothing, children’s toys, books, beer that has up to seven per cent alcohol, restaurant meals and a miscellany of other items. Shoppers may delay their shopping to pay less in tax. Confusion is then likely to reign for many consumers who do closely follow government pronouncements. They may wrongly believe that flat-screen TVs or other products will be exempt from the GST and postpone their purchases of those items for that reason. Undoubtedly, retailers will have to deal with unhappy customers who learn in their stores that the GST continues to apply to many products. Even retail professionals told BIV that the government’s list of exempted items is not clear. While children’s toys, such as board games and dolls designed for children younger than 14 years, are to be exempt, other toys could continue to carry the tax. Patterson added that the timing of the GST holiday is not ideal for some items. Christmas trees will be exempt from the GST starting December 14 even though most Christmas tree shoppers will likely have already bought their trees, he said. One consequence of more consumers procrastinating on their holiday shopping and pushing it into the future is that they may get busy with other things and not complete their purchases by Christmas, hurting retailers in the process.

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Trump selects longtime adviser Keith Kellogg as special envoy for Ukraine and RussiaFind a qualified attorney Start by asking other financial professionals who you work with — whether a financial adviser or an accountant — for recommendations. If you have a specific situation that is likely to affect your estate plan — for example, if you’re a small-business owner or if you have a child with special needs — be sure to ask for referrals to attorneys who are well-versed in those areas. Before you select an attorney, it’s perfectly reasonable to conduct a basic informational interview. As you speak with a prospective estate-planning attorney, also weigh the intangibles. Do you like this person and would you be comfortable supplying him or her with personal information about your finances and family situation? Take stock of your assets Spend time enumerating your assets and their value: your investment accounts as well as life insurance, personal assets such as your home and your share of any businesses that you own. You should also gather current information about any outstanding debts. Your estate-planning attorney is likely to provide you with a worksheet to document your assets and liabilities, but it’s helpful to collect this information in advance. Identify key individuals You’ll need people to fill the following key roles. Note that the same individual can fill more than one role. Executor: A person who gathers all of your assets and makes sure that they are distributed as spelled out in your will. Many people call upon family members to serve as executors, but it’s also possible — and in some cases desirable—to hire a professional. Durable (or financial) power of attorney: This is a document that grants an individual the legal authority to make financial decisions on your behalf if you should become unable to manage your own financial affairs. Power of attorney for health care: This is a document that specifies whom you entrust with making health-care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make them on your own. Guardian: A person who would look after your children if you and your spouse were to die when your children are minors. Know the key documents you need At a minimum, you should ask your attorney to draft the following: Last will and testament: A legal document that tells everyone — including your heirs — how you would like your assets distributed after you’re gone. Living will: A document that tells your loved ones and your health care providers how you would like to be cared for if you become terminally ill. Manage your documents Once your estate-planning documents are drafted, destroy any older versions of them. Keep the documents in a safe place, either in a home safe, in the top drawer of a secure file cabinet in your home or in a safe-deposit box. Notify your executor of the whereabouts of your estate-planning documents, and provide copies of the relevant documents to your executor, agents for powers of attorney and the guardian for your children. Don’t neglect the softer side This may include considersations like: If you end up needing long-term care, would you rather receive that care at home, provided you could afford it? If in the unlikely scenario your guardians have to care for your minor children, what are the key values you’d like them to impart to your kids? Keep your plan current Plan to notify your estate-planning attorney, and possibly revise your documents, if you experience any of the following: Change in marital or family status (for example, marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of child). Major change in assets — either sale or purchase. Major change in financial status. Death or ill health of one of your beneficiaries. Death or ill health of executor, power of attorneys or guardian. Estate planning is one of those tasks that makes almost any other job look appealing, no matter how lowly. The good news is that you’ve probably already done a little bit of estate planning — you just may not be aware of it. It’s helpful to think of estate planning as a process rather than something that’s one-and-done and begins and ends in an attorney’s office. Here are the key steps to take: Find a qualified attorney Start by asking other financial professionals who you work with — whether a financial adviser or an accountant — for recommendations. If you have a specific situation that is likely to affect your estate plan — for example, if you’re a small-business owner or if you have a child with special needs — be sure to ask for referrals to attorneys who are well-versed in those areas. Before you select an attorney, it’s perfectly reasonable to conduct a basic informational interview. As you speak with a prospective estate-planning attorney, also weigh the intangibles. Do you like this person and would you be comfortable supplying him or her with personal information about your finances and family situation? Take stock of your assets Spend time enumerating your assets and their value: your investment accounts as well as life insurance, personal assets such as your home and your share of any businesses that you own. You should also gather current information about any outstanding debts. Your estate-planning attorney is likely to provide you with a worksheet to document your assets and liabilities, but it’s helpful to collect this information in advance. Identify key individuals You’ll need people to fill the following key roles. Note that the same individual can fill more than one role. Executor: A person who gathers all of your assets and makes sure that they are distributed as spelled out in your will. Many people call upon family members to serve as executors, but it’s also possible — and in some cases desirable—to hire a professional. Durable (or financial) power of attorney: This is a document that grants an individual the legal authority to make financial decisions on your behalf if you should become unable to manage your own financial affairs. Power of attorney for health care: This is a document that specifies whom you entrust with making health-care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make them on your own. Guardian: A person who would look after your children if you and your spouse were to die when your children are minors. Know the key documents you need At a minimum, you should ask your attorney to draft the following: Last will and testament: A legal document that tells everyone — including your heirs — how you would like your assets distributed after you’re gone. Living will: A document that tells your loved ones and your health care providers how you would like to be cared for if you become terminally ill. Manage your documents Once your estate-planning documents are drafted, destroy any older versions of them. Keep the documents in a safe place, either in a home safe, in the top drawer of a secure file cabinet in your home or in a safe-deposit box. Notify your executor of the whereabouts of your estate-planning documents, and provide copies of the relevant documents to your executor, agents for powers of attorney and the guardian for your children. Don’t neglect the softer side This may include considersations like: If you end up needing long-term care, would you rather receive that care at home, provided you could afford it? If in the unlikely scenario your guardians have to care for your minor children, what are the key values you’d like them to impart to your kids? Keep your plan current Plan to notify your estate-planning attorney, and possibly revise your documents, if you experience any of the following: Change in marital or family status (for example, marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of child). Major change in assets — either sale or purchase. Major change in financial status. Death or ill health of one of your beneficiaries. Death or ill health of executor, power of attorneys or guardian. Estate planning is one of those tasks that makes almost any other job look appealing, no matter how lowly. The good news is that you’ve probably already done a little bit of estate planning — you just may not be aware of it. It’s helpful to think of estate planning as a process rather than something that’s one-and-done and begins and ends in an attorney’s office. Here are the key steps to take: Find a qualified attorney Start by asking other financial professionals who you work with — whether a financial adviser or an accountant — for recommendations. If you have a specific situation that is likely to affect your estate plan — for example, if you’re a small-business owner or if you have a child with special needs — be sure to ask for referrals to attorneys who are well-versed in those areas. Before you select an attorney, it’s perfectly reasonable to conduct a basic informational interview. As you speak with a prospective estate-planning attorney, also weigh the intangibles. Do you like this person and would you be comfortable supplying him or her with personal information about your finances and family situation? Take stock of your assets Spend time enumerating your assets and their value: your investment accounts as well as life insurance, personal assets such as your home and your share of any businesses that you own. You should also gather current information about any outstanding debts. Your estate-planning attorney is likely to provide you with a worksheet to document your assets and liabilities, but it’s helpful to collect this information in advance. Identify key individuals You’ll need people to fill the following key roles. Note that the same individual can fill more than one role. Executor: A person who gathers all of your assets and makes sure that they are distributed as spelled out in your will. Many people call upon family members to serve as executors, but it’s also possible — and in some cases desirable—to hire a professional. Durable (or financial) power of attorney: This is a document that grants an individual the legal authority to make financial decisions on your behalf if you should become unable to manage your own financial affairs. Power of attorney for health care: This is a document that specifies whom you entrust with making health-care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to make them on your own. Guardian: A person who would look after your children if you and your spouse were to die when your children are minors. Know the key documents you need At a minimum, you should ask your attorney to draft the following: Last will and testament: A legal document that tells everyone — including your heirs — how you would like your assets distributed after you’re gone. Living will: A document that tells your loved ones and your health care providers how you would like to be cared for if you become terminally ill. Manage your documents Once your estate-planning documents are drafted, destroy any older versions of them. Keep the documents in a safe place, either in a home safe, in the top drawer of a secure file cabinet in your home or in a safe-deposit box. Notify your executor of the whereabouts of your estate-planning documents, and provide copies of the relevant documents to your executor, agents for powers of attorney and the guardian for your children. Don’t neglect the softer side This may include considersations like: If you end up needing long-term care, would you rather receive that care at home, provided you could afford it? If in the unlikely scenario your guardians have to care for your minor children, what are the key values you’d like them to impart to your kids? Keep your plan current Plan to notify your estate-planning attorney, and possibly revise your documents, if you experience any of the following: Change in marital or family status (for example, marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of child). Major change in assets — either sale or purchase. Major change in financial status. Death or ill health of one of your beneficiaries. Death or ill health of executor, power of attorneys or guardian.