DocuGuardian aids end-of-life planning for digital era

April 29, 2025

LEWES – A new digital platform is helping clients prepare for the inevitable, offering peace of mind to families as they transition to new life stages.

Lori and Dave Selsberg cut the ribbon on their new venture, DocuGuardian, with the help of the Rehoboth Beach/Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce to honor their start just five years after the couple moved to the area like many of the retirees they now serve.

“Disaster doesn’t send you a calendar invite. There’s no calendar invite that says that day is yours. Emergencies don’t send a calendar invite. You never know when it’s coming,” co-founder and CEO Lori Selsberg told the Delaware Business Times, emphasizing the need for end-of-life planning for people of all ages.

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The user-friendly platform can be used by both individuals or professionals looking to make that transition easier in hopes of avoiding what she calls “the scavenger hunt” after someone has passed away as families begin searching for documents, family recipes and needed instructions.

“We want people to be proactive. It’s not just for the things your family needs in the end-of-life planning, but also the things your family wants like the recipes, pet sitter instructions and farewell videos. All of the things that make you you and what you want to be known by, we want all of that in one platform and easy for your family to find,” she told DBT. “We’re trying to transform the way people approach life and death.”

While individuals can utilize the platform by signing up directly on DocuGuardian’s website, that’s not the only innovative approach the business is taking to ensure easier planning.

Selsberg is an attorney by trade with experience in the financial and business sectors, among others, and said their new secure and encrypted platform can support the needs of a variety of industry leaders, along with the individuals they serve.

“Companies can have a white-labeled solution on their website with their branding on it that is powered by DocuGuardian with all the same benefits,” she explained. “A lot of times, when you go to a lawyer for end-of-life planning, they give you this binder or just a stack of papers and then you go home, and they’re lost or maybe you lose them in a disaster you weren’t prepared for. But here with DocuGuardian, all of those documents can live in one place”

She said there’s one more benefit to businesses signing on with DocuGuardian – The platform can send out reminders to clients to revisit their documents with the professionals who helped draft them after a certain period to ensure they are up to date.

But the crew behind DocuGuardian doesn’t stop there – they wanted to ensure the process was interactive and fun for clients. To do this, they created a patent-pending feature that would give clients a legacy health score based on the information they submit, gauging their preparedness levels for their end-of-life planning.

“It encourages them to improve their score. It’s personalized, customized, and it’s not just for financial, legal and insurance information. It’s also for all those other things DocuGuardian can help with and really supports the process,” Selsberg said.

Opening their business in their new home of Lewes was the perfect opportunity for the platform with the understanding that Sussex County is the fastest-growing county in Delaware, with retirees blazing the trail.

According to Neilsberg Research, Sussex County is decidedly older than most counties across the country with the median age resting at about 50.7 versus 38.8 nationwide and the 18 and under population lower than the national average, as well.

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Delaware’s Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities projects that the growth of residents aged 60 years or older will increase significantly in Sussex County, reaching a 132% increase by 2030 from its 2000 numbers; or a 300% increase in residents aged 85 years or older in the same time frame.

“Lewes has always been a place where people here enjoy life, family, and community,” said co-founder and COO Dave Selsberg said in a press release. “Our mission is to help people here, and everywhere, preserve those values for generations to come by making sure their wishes, documents, and memories are safe, organized, and available when needed most.”