Digital Estate Planning: Managing Your Online Presence After Death

In the modern digital era, our online presence has become a crucial aspect of our daily lives. We gather a substantial collection of digital assets, ranging from social media profiles and online banking accounts to emails and digital photo collections. While these assets hold significant value during our lives, it’s equally essential to manage them properly after we pass away. This is where the concept of digital estate planning becomes important.

Understanding Digital Estate Planning

Digital estate planning involves organizing and managing your online presence and digital assets so that they can be accessed or handled after your death. This can include a wide range of assets such as:

• Social Media Accounts: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.
• Email Accounts: Personal and professional email services.
• Financial Accounts: Online banking, PayPal, investment accounts.
• Digital Files: Documents, photos, videos stored on cloud services or personal devices.
• Online Subscriptions: Streaming services, e-commerce memberships, and more.

Without proper planning, these assets can be lost, inaccessible, or misused, causing additional stress to your loved ones during an already difficult time.

Why Digital Estate Planning Matters

Digital estate planning is important for several reasons, including: 

• Prevention of Identity Theft: Unmanaged digital accounts can become targets for identity theft. Ensuring that your accounts are properly handled after your death can prevent this.
• Ease for Loved Ones: Your family and friends may need access to your accounts to settle affairs, retrieve important documents, or simply to preserve memories.
• Legal and Financial Implications: Some digital assets may have significant financial value. Proper management ensures that these assets are transferred according to your wishes.

For these reasons, it’s important to consider digital assets when it comes to your estate planning. 

Steps to Effective Digital Estate Planning

When it comes to digital estate planning, there are a few steps you need to take: 

• Inventory Your Digital Assets: List all your digital assets, including account login information. This should include usernames, passwords, and any security questions/answers.
• Appoint a Digital Executor: Just as you would appoint an executor for your physical estate, appoint someone to manage your digital assets. This person should be tech-savvy and trustworthy.
• Provide Clear Instructions: Outline how you want each asset to be handled. For example, you may want your social media accounts to be memorialized or deleted, and your email accounts to be accessed and then closed.
• Use a Password Manager: A password manager can securely store your passwords and provide access to your digital executor when needed. Ensure your executor knows how to access the password manager.
• Legal Considerations: Include digital estate planning in your will. Specify your digital executor and provide them with the necessary authority. Be aware that some online platforms have their own policies regarding the management of accounts after death.
• Regularly Update Your Plan: As you create new accounts or change passwords, update your inventory and instructions. Digital estate planning is an ongoing process.

Digital Legacy Tools for Digital Estate Planning

Many online platforms now offer tools to manage your digital presence after death. For instance, Facebook allows you to designate a legacy contact who can manage your memorialized account. Google has an Inactive Account Manager where you can specify what happens to your account if it becomes inactive. These tools can simplify the process for your loved ones and ensure your wishes are respected.

Do you have any questions about digital estate planning? The Estate Planning Group at Lonich Patton Ehrlich Policastri is well versed in this area and can include your digital assets in all areas of our estate planning services. Get started today by scheduling your free consultation.

Disclaimer: this article does not constitute a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.