Think about your digital life for a moment. Gmail. iCloud. Netflix. Amazon. Online banking. Venmo. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Spotify. Dropbox. Your domain names. Your online business. Your crypto wallets. Your PayPal account with money in it. Your Etsy shop.
Now answer honestly: Does anyone other than you know how to access any of these accounts? Does anyone have your passwords? Have you told anyone what to do with them when you're gone?
For most people, the answer to all three questions is no. And that creates a serious problem — not just for sentimental reasons, but potentially for significant financial reasons. Your digital estate may be worth thousands, tens of thousands, or even more in financial value — and without a plan, it could disappear or be locked forever.
Digital estate planning is the process of documenting, organizing, and providing access instructions for all of your digital assets so that your heirs can manage or inherit them after your death. It's an extension of traditional estate planning that has become essential in the 21st century — and most traditional will and trust templates were not designed with digital assets in mind.
Digital estate planning involves three main steps: (1) creating an inventory of your digital assets, (2) documenting access information so your heirs can get in, and (3) formally designating what should happen to each account or asset in your will, trust, or a separate digital asset directive.
Not all digital accounts are equal in importance. Here's a hierarchy of what deserves most attention in your digital estate plan:
Google Inactive Account Manager lets you designate a trusted contact to access your account data after 3–18 months of inactivity. You can also set Google to delete your account after a period of inactivity. Without this setup, your family has no guaranteed path to your Gmail, Google Photos, or Drive — even with a death certificate.
Facebook Legacy Contact lets you designate someone to manage your memorialized profile. They can pin a post, respond to friend requests, and update the profile picture. They cannot log in as you or read your messages. Alternatively, you can request account deletion after death. Set this up at Settings → Memorialization Settings.
Apple Digital Legacy lets you add up to five Legacy Contacts who can access your Apple ID data after death — including photos, notes, messages, files, and more. They'll need an access key you share with them and an official death certificate. Without a designated Legacy Contact, your family cannot access your iCloud data, even with a death certificate.
Crypto is unique and uniquely risky. Unlike a bank account, there is no institution to call. No password reset. No death certificate process. If your heirs don't have your seed phrase (the 12–24 word recovery phrase for your wallet), the cryptocurrency is permanently inaccessible. It doesn't go anywhere — it just becomes unreachable forever. This has happened to billions of dollars in crypto. Proper planning is critical.
Online bank accounts can generally be inherited through standard probate processes with a death certificate. However, if your estate is not set up to handle digital assets, the process can be slow and require court involvement. Consider beneficiary designations (POD — payable on death) for online accounts where possible.
Modern will templates through services like Trust & Will, LawDepot, and LegalZoom include provisions for digital assets. You can use your will to:
Important: Do NOT put actual passwords, PINs, or cryptocurrency seed phrases in your will. Wills become public record when probated. Instead, reference a separate, secure document and store it appropriately (locked safe, encrypted file, with your attorney).
A digital asset inventory is a document that lists all your online accounts with relevant access information. It should be stored securely — not in your will. Consider:
Your inventory should include, for each account: account name, URL or app name, username/email, password or password hint, any 2FA backup codes, and instructions (transfer, close, memorialize, etc.).
Cryptocurrency and NFTs represent the highest-risk category of digital assets for estate planning. Unlike bank accounts, there is no customer service number. No account recovery process. No institution that can verify identity or facilitate inheritance.
The only way to access a crypto wallet is with the private keys or seed phrase. If your heirs don't have this information and can't find it, the crypto is gone forever. Estimates suggest that over $100 billion in crypto is permanently lost — much of it from people who died without passing on their access information.
For crypto estate planning specifically:
The best online will services have incorporated digital asset provisions into their templates. Trust & Will allows you to specify a digital executor and reference a digital asset inventory. LawDepot's will templates include digital asset provisions. Both platforms guide you through the process of addressing digital assets as part of your complete estate plan.
Neither service can document your actual passwords or access credentials (nor should they — this is private information that should be stored separately). But they provide the legal framework — the designation of a digital executor, the authority for that person to access your accounts under state law, and the overall structure for your digital estate.
Trust & Will includes digital asset provisions — designate a digital executor and ensure your online accounts are handled according to your wishes.
Start at Trust & Will →Create your will, trust, and digital asset instructions for $9.99/month. State-specific documents, 7-day free trial.
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