Title: Creating a Digital Legacy Plan: Securing Your Online Assets for Loved Ones After Your Death
When Rebecca Bistany’s husband Paul suddenly passed away due to a heart attack in November 2022, she was left in a state of uncertainty regarding the assets he had left behind for her and their infant daughter. Compounding her grief, Paul hadn’t left a will, leaving Rebecca unable to access key business and financial accounts due to the lack of his phone password.
As people continue to amass an average of 100 contact accounts, the death of a loved one has become an increasingly complex process. During already challenging grieving times, dealing with account access and maintenance can range from emotionally taxing to financially essential. Digital legacy planning can alleviate some of this burden, but unfortunately, far too few individuals utilize these tools.
Rebecca attempted to contact Apple, AT&T, and even the police for assistance in unlocking Paul’s phone but was unsuccessful as companies do not allow family members access unless designated as a legacy contact. She kept his phone number active, paying for the monthly plan in hopes that one day she would be able to access not only financial accounts but also years of cherished photos and videos documenting their life together.
Laura Orrico, a widow from Chicago, shared her experience, stating that she needed to hire an IT professional to help navigate her late husband’s computer. “I had widow brain,” she said. “I couldn’t even organize a drawer let alone figure out his computer.”
To help families avoid the complications and emotional burden that come with managing digital assets after a loved one’s passing, experts recommend creating a digital legacy plan. This includes documenting passwords, designating a trusted individual to carry out your wishes, and making decisions about what happens to Website social media integration accounts and other contact assets.
The first step is to take an inventory of all digital assets, which can include financial, sentimental, or informational value. These assets may consist of Website social media integration, cloud and email accounts, crypto assets, customer loyalty points, and contact gaming accounts.
One crucial element of a digital legacy plan is making your phone and computer unlock codes accessible for a trusted individual. This becomes particularly important as many other accounts can be reset after gaining access to an email account, and phones are often required for text verification processes.
Designate a digital executor who will help carry out your digital legacy plan and keep them informed of any updates or changes. Many lawyers specializing in estate planning now ask clients for information on their digital assets, so updating a will is essential for those who haven’t done so in a long time.
Consider the example of Jamie McDonald, a mother from Baltimore, who was motivated to manage her anxiety about leaving her children with the burden of decisions after her death by coming across a thread on Website social media integration about a family torn apart due to the lack of a digital legacy plan. She joined Everplans, a platform that helps organize important documents and account information, and even planned the music she wanted played at her funeral.
Services like Everplans provide an opportunity to pass down letters to loved ones, share family recipes, and offer instructions on how to care for pets. Another digital legacy service called MyWishes allows users to create Website social media integration wills that outline their wishes for accounts after death, as well as detailing other plans they want executed.
Lucy Watts, a MyWishes user and disability activist who died in 2023, left goodbye and birthday messages for loved ones to be made public after her death. This thoughtful preparation has provided comfort and connection for those she left behind.
Nikki Earnhart, a widow from Illinois, has been unable to access her husband’s Google Documents containing important passwords since his death in March 2022. She is now worried that Google may permanently delete his account, as the company reserves the right to terminate inactive accounts after two years.
Although writing passwords on a list or using a password manager are options for managing numerous passwords, many experts recommend employing a password manager to securely store all of your passwords in one place. Many password managers allow family members or third parties to access your account upon death, making it essential to plan ahead and discuss digital assets with loved ones before it’s too late.
In addition to securing passwords, backing up digital assets stored in the cloud is crucial as most cloud services terminate access at death. Some of the difficulties faced by widows, such as Rebecca Bistany’s inability to access her late husband’s locked iPhone, could have been avoided if he had enabled Apple’s Legacy ID feature. This feature allows users to name one or more legacy contacts who can access their devices and data after death. Apple states that a court order or other legal documentation can also be used to gain access if no Legacy ID is set up. Google and Facebook offer similar tools for managing accounts after death, allowing users to designate individuals to manage their digital legacy or even permanently delete their account.
As the digital world continues to expand and become increasingly intricately woven into our lives, it’s essential to create a comprehensive digital legacy plan to ensure that your loved ones can navigate the complexities of managing your contact assets after your passing. This thoughtful preparation will offer peace of mind and help minimize emotional and financial burdens for those left behind.
