Most people spend years building a digital life — online accounts, cloud storage, email archives, cryptocurrency wallets, social media profiles, subscription services, and more. Yet very few estate plans address any of it.
This isn’t a minor oversight. It’s a growing problem that catches families off guard more often than you’d expect.
When someone passes away without leaving instructions for their digital assets, families face a frustrating combination of locked accounts, inaccessible funds, and platforms with no clear process for transferring access. Some accounts simply go dark. Others continue charging credit cards for months before anyone realizes it. And in some cases, particularly with cryptocurrency or digital investment accounts, significant financial assets become permanently unreachable because no one knew they existed or had the credentials to access them.
The legal landscape here is still catching up. Most states have adopted some version of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which gives executors limited authority to manage digital accounts. But “limited authority” is the operative phrase. Without explicit instructions and properly documented credentials, even a legally authorized executor may find certain platforms uncooperative.
What does thoughtful digital estate planning actually look like? It starts with a comprehensive inventory — every account, every platform, every asset that exists online. It includes a secure method for storing and transferring login credentials to the right person at the right time. It covers your wishes for each account: what should be preserved, what should be closed, what should be memorialized.
It also means coordinating your digital plan with your broader estate plan so that your executor and your digital asset trustee, who may or may not be the same person, have clear, consistent authority to act
A complete estate plan in 2026 addresses the whole picture – not just the physical assets, but the digital ones too.
We can help! If you’re ready to get started on your planning, begin by booking a Peace of Mind Planning Session. We’ll answer your questions, go over your options, and talk about our flat fees. Mention this article and we’ll waive the $300 session fee. BOOK HERE.