Estate Planning in the Digital Age
Most people think of estate planning in terms of homes, bank accounts, and life insurance. But today, your digital life is just as important—and often completely overlooked. From online banking and investment platforms to social media, email, and even cloud photo storage, your digital footprint needs protection and direction after you’re gone.
Without a clear plan, these accounts may be locked, lost, or misused. Digital estate planning helps your loved ones access the things they need—and protects your privacy when you’re no longer here to manage it.
What Is a Digital Estate?
A digital estate includes any online or electronic asset that belongs to you. This may include:
- Email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo)
- Social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X)
- Online banking and investment portals
- Cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges
- Online subscriptions and services
- Cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud)
- Ecommerce or business logins (Shopify, PayPal, Etsy)
- Password managers
While these accounts may not always hold monetary value, they often contain sensitive information, private communications, or treasured memories. Without access, your family may be locked out indefinitely.
What Happens Without a Digital Plan?
Each online platform has its own terms of service, and many do not allow family members to access an account without prior authorization—even if the person is deceased. In some cases:
- Assets (like crypto or PayPal balances) may be lost forever
- Photos and messages may be permanently deleted
- Subscriptions may continue charging your account
- Identity theft or fraud may occur if accounts are left unattended
This is especially problematic if you run a business or manage finances online. Your digital presence could create chaos or losses if no one is authorized to step in.
How to Include Digital Assets in Your Estate Plan
A complete estate plan should include clear instructions for handling your digital accounts. This includes:
- A digital asset inventory – A list of accounts, devices, platforms, and assets
- Login credentials – Stored securely and accessed through a password manager or offline file
- Designation of access – Naming someone as your “digital executor” or including digital powers in your power of attorney
- Written instructions – Indicating what should be deleted, transferred, or preserved
We help you organize this information and ensure it’s included as part of your estate plan, in compliance with state and federal laws.
Social Media and Online Legacies
Some platforms allow legacy settings. For example:
- Facebook lets you assign a legacy contact to manage or memorialize your page
- Google offers an “Inactive Account Manager” to designate someone to access data
- Apple now allows you to assign a digital legacy contact for your Apple ID
But these tools need to be set up in advance. Including them in your estate plan ensures nothing important is missed.
Managing Digital Wealth
Digital assets aren’t just for communication—they can hold real value. Cryptocurrency, online businesses, loyalty rewards, domain names, and NFTs are now common parts of many financial portfolios.
Without a plan, these assets can vanish. With the proper tools, we can help you:
- Document ownership and access
- Include digital holdings in your trust or will
- Set rules for how they should be handled or distributed
Avoiding Digital Confusion
One of the biggest issues in estate administration today is missing digital information. If no one knows where your accounts are—or how to access them—your family could waste hours (or years) trying to piece things together.
A digital plan:
- Saves your family time and stress
- Protects your identity and personal data
- Preserves valuable or sentimental content
- Ensures your digital assets don’t disappear
How We Make It Easy
At MB Wealth Advisors, our digital estate planning process helps you organize and protect both your physical and digital assets. Through our secure platform, you’ll be guided step-by-step to:
- Create a complete digital asset list
- Assign digital access rights to trusted individuals
- Coordinate your digital plan with your will and trust
We make sure nothing gets overlooked—and that your estate reflects how you actually live and manage your life today.
Take Control of Your Online Legacy
Your digital life doesn’t disappear when you do. Make sure it’s protected, accessible, and managed by the right people.
Learn more about how we integrate digital estate planning into every plan. Visit our Estate Planning Services or call (704) 584-9363. You can also get started now through our secure form at mbwealthadvisors.com/contact/#connect.