How much time would you say that you spend each week either engaging with online resources or utilizing other electronic means of communication, like email? Have you ever given any thought as to what will happen to your online assets and accounts once you pass away? If not, you need to start the process of crafting a digital estate plan.
More and more often, those who are left behind when a loved one dies are discovering that unraveling someone’s online “footprint” can be a nightmare if that person hasn’t left instructions concerning their assets and accounts, how to access them, what to do with them and who should be managing these tasks on their behalf in the first place.
Protecting your wishes and saving your loved ones from stress
Whether you have an estate plan in place or have yet to create one, it is time to ensure that your wishes concerning your digital footprint are properly managed in an estate planning context. Otherwise, you’ll unnecessarily burden your loved ones with the tasks of determining what should be done with your accounts and assets, unraveling your digital presence more generally and grappling with any information that they may encounter that could either be confusing or could hurt their feelings.
Take the time to engage in digital estate planning proactively so that you can better ensure that your wishes are honored and that your loved ones can focus on their grief instead of trying to figure out how to access your important online accounts. It is for these reasons that digital estate planning is both an act of self-protection and an act of love.
