Your Digital Life Continues Without You: Managing Digital Assets

By Jon Braddock, Founder of My Life and Wishes Legacy Vault

Brenda Johnson Official Partner of My Life and Wishes Legacy Vault

I read this recent blog of Jon's, and it resonated with me as I found insights that I had never considered before. Since we are all navigating life together, I wanted to share it with you as well.

Welcome back to Jon's Introduction to Modern Death Etiquette series! Drawing from personal experience, Jon's book, Click Here When I Die, offers practical guidance on navigating the complexities of end-of-life planning.

In this post, we'll explore the importance of managing your digital life and how to assign someone to manage it after you're gone.

Introduction

In today's digital age, our online presence and digital assets have become an integral part of our lives. However, many people overlook the importance of managing these assets as part of their end-of-life planning. In this article, we will discuss why it's crucial to manage your digital life after death and provide tips for creating a digital estate plan.

Understanding Digital Assets

Digital assets include any online accounts, digital files, and online content you own. Examples of digital assets are:

• Social Media Accounts: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn

• Email Accounts: Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook

• Financial Accounts: Online banking, investment accounts, PayPal, Venmo

• Subscriptions and Memberships: Netflix, Amazon Prime, professional memberships

• Digital Files: Photos, videos, documents stored on your computer, Google Drive, Dropbox

The Importance of Managing Digital Assets

Without a plan for your digital assets, your loved ones may face significant challenges in accessing and managing these accounts after your death. This can lead to:

• Loss of Important Information: Critical information and personal memories stored online may become inaccessible.

• Security Risks: Unmanaged accounts can be vulnerable to hacking and identity theft.

• Legal and Financial Complications: Failing to address digital assets can result in legal and financial complications for your estate.

Steps to Create a Digital Estate Plan

1. Inventory Your Digital Assets

   • Make a comprehensive list of all your digital assets, including account usernames and passwords.

   • Include any digital files stored on your computer, external drives, or cloud services.

   Note: For assistance with this step, click to download our Household Account Checklist>>

2. Designate a Digital Estate Director

   • Choose a trusted person to manage your digital assets after your death. This person will be responsible for carrying out your digital estate plan.

   • Ensure this person has the necessary information and access to your accounts.

3. Specify Your Wishes

   • Clearly outline your wishes for each digital asset. For example, you may want certain accounts to be deleted, memorialized, or transferred to a loved one.

   • Provide instructions for handling any sensitive or personal information.

4. Use Digital Estate Planning Tools

   • Consider using digital estate planning tools or services that can help manage your online accounts and digital assets, such as My Life & Wishes and password management tools.

5. Include Digital Assets in Your Will

   • While not all digital assets can be legally transferred through a will, it’s important to mention them and your digital executor in your will.

   • Consult with an attorney to ensure your digital estate plan aligns with current laws and regulations.

Conclusion

Managing your digital assets is an important part of both everyday life and end-of-life planning. By putting a digital estate plan in place, you can ensure your online presence is handled the way you want and provide your loved ones with the clarity and access they'll need when it matters most.

What is the MLW Legacy Vault?

Click here to learn more and get your Legacy Vault.

My final thoughts: We are often uncomfortable discussing or even thinking about our end-of-life decisions. It doesn't have to be an uncomfortable discussion with loved ones; that stigma has been projected onto us, and it's time to end it and move forward with a direct plan that is helpful to those we love.

When we make a solid plan and have everything organized for our loved ones in the event of our passing, it significantly eases their burden.

Have you ever settled an estate for a loved one? It can be a jumble of trying to find essential documents, bills, bank accounts, and more.

My Life and Wishes Legacy Vault is the perfect way to keep everything in order, making it much easier for those you love to access what they need if you become incapacitated or pass away.

If you have questions about the Legacy Vault, I am always happy to speak with you, or you can email or text me.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I hope you found it informative and thought-provoking.

Brenda Johnson, Official Legacy Vault Partner

Phone or Text: (415) 264-0941

Email: info@xmobilenotary.com

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