CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Many studies show that nearly two-thirds of Americans don’t have a will, and even fewer have created a full estate plan. Fifth Third Bancorp (Nasdaq®: FITB) understands that many people say the process is too complex and too-time consuming, so the Bank created Fifth Third LegacyLink, a digital platform that provides a simple, straightforward approach to estate management.

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“Most people don’t like to talk about death, let alone plan for their own. Factor in the seemingly overwhelming process of preparing wills, trusts, health care directives, lists of passwords and other estate planning documents, and it’s no surprise that many people avoid the process entirely,” said Mike Michael, head of Fifth Third’s Wealth and Asset Management business. “Fifth Third wanted to find a way to demystify estate planning and executor duties, finding a new way to guide families through the difficult process.” (Photo: Business Wire)

“Most people don’t like to talk about death, let alone plan for their own. Factor in the seemingly overwhelming process of preparing wills, trusts, health care directives, lists of passwords and other estate planning documents, and it’s no surprise that many people avoid the process entirely,” said Mike Michael, head of Fifth Third’s Wealth and Asset Management business. “Fifth Third wanted to find a way to demystify estate planning and executor duties, finding a new way to guide families through the difficult process.”

Available online and via mobile app, LegacyLink’s valuable educational content and interactive checklists are free and open to all. An additional paid-subscription service, Asset Manager, helps users catalog, track and distribute estate assets.* The secure digital platform provides consumers the ability to serve themselves or to seek help from Fifth Third.

About $30 trillion in wealth is expected to change hands in the next several decades. Fifth Third spent two years hosting focus groups, surveying Millennials, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers, conducting one-on-one interviews and researching estate planning and estate settlement trends. The Bank found that consumers wanted one trusted source for information, and help with more than just logistics, but the emotional side of managing an estate. Consumers also wanted to do much of the planning on their own and wanted a solution that was simple to use and digital.

“We learned that the way people want to manage their estates has changed. And although Millennials aren’t the first group we think of in estate planning, it’s a process that touches all ages,” said Daniela Demaria, the Bank’s managing director of strategic business development, who helped create LegacyLink. “That demographic and many others want more of a ‘do-it-yourself’ model. LegacyLink allows users the ability to go to the site for valuable insights, guidance and online tools to help plan an estate or settle an existing one.”

LegacyLink guides users through the process:

• Interactive guidance: Estate planning and settlement can be a lot to manage. LegacyLink’s interactive checklists guide users through the process with simple, straightforward steps, so they don’t miss important legal, financial or administrative details along the way.
• Asset organization: Identifying, organizing and distributing assets are extremely time consuming. The LegacyLink Asset Manager organizes assets in one intuitive online catalog with photos, value estimates, history and sentimental value and even personal notes to their beneficiaries.
• Helpful resources: Whether creating their own plan or serving as an executor, most people have questions about the estate management process. LegacyLink’s Learning Center offers information on everything from managing emotionally difficult conversations to understanding estate taxes.
• Access to advisors: Everyone has unique preferences for the way they handle their finances. LegacyLink gives users the choice to independently complete their tasks through the digital platform or collaborate with one of Fifth Third’s trusted advisors for guidance on the process.

To create your own account or find more information on LegacyLink, visit www.53legacylink.com.

*Fifth Third’s paid LegacyLink account is $99 a year and offers additional features allowing you to organize assets in an online catalog including pictures, values estimates and even personals note to beneficiaries.

About Fifth Third

Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. As of March 31, 2017, the Company had $140 billion in assets and operated 1,155 full-service Banking Centers and 2,471 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Wealth & Asset Management. As of March 31, 2017, Fifth Third also had a 17.8 percent interest in Vantiv Holding, LLC. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2017, had $323 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $33 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations through its Trust, Brokerage and Insurance businesses. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com. Fifth Third’s common stock is traded on the Nasdaq® Global Select Market under the symbol “FITB.” Fifth Third Bank was established in 1858. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.

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