August 28, 2025
Your financial life lives in the cloud as much as in a filing cabinet. Email is the inbox of record. Photos sit in an online library. Bills arrive by app. A side investment in cryptocurrency may be secured by a hardware wallet only you can open. If your plan ignores these digital assets, your executor and successor trustee inherit a blindfold. This guide explains, in practical terms, how to inventory digital property, what legal authority your fiduciaries need, how to manage two‑factor authentication, what to do about social media and subscriptions, and how to avoid the single mistake that sinks crypto inheritances: lost keys.
Think broadly. Start with email accounts that house confirmations, statements, and password resets. Add cloud photo libraries that contain your family history. Include productivity subscriptions that store files, notes, and designs. Fold in financial apps—banking, brokerage, budgeting, and payment platforms. Capture e‑commerce accounts with gift cards or credits. List domain names and websites you own. Include social media profiles, gaming assets with transferable value, and any crypto holdings and wallets. This inventory tells your fiduciaries what exists and where to look; without it they are reduced to hunting through mail and guessing.
Modern wills and trusts should include digital‑assets authority that grants your executor and trustee the right to access, manage, and, if necessary, close online accounts and retrieve digital property. This isn’t about “hacking.” It’s about giving service providers a lawful basis to disclose content and records to your fiduciary. Pair those clauses with a broad HIPAA release (for health portals) and an authorization in your financial power of attorney so your agent can handle accounts during incapacity. Many states have adopted laws that give a framework for fiduciary access to digital assets; your document should reference the concept and grant the powers your fiduciaries need.
Even with authority, some providers distinguish between content (the body of emails) and records (a list of contacts or transaction history). A clear clause improves your odds of receiving both where appropriate.
Never put a plaintext password list in your will or trust. Do maintain a password manager and designate an emergency access contact if your provider offers it. Document the existence of the manager and how to trigger emergency access in your private letter of instructions. For two‑factor authentication (2FA), note which methods you use: authenticator apps, SMS to a certain phone number, hardware security keys, or email. If you use an authenticator app, list the phone or device where it lives; if you use hardware keys, label and store them where your fiduciary can find them.
Your executor doesn’t need your bank password to close an account—letters testamentary and the bank’s forms cover that. But they do need sufficient access to email or your password manager to untangle secondary accounts and subscriptions.
Email is how accounts reset passwords and verify identity. Decide whether your executor or successor trustee should take control of your main email account; in many families, the trustee is the better choice because they continue to act after probate. In your documents, authorize access to email content and records for estate administration. In your private letter, note the provider, the recovery phone number, and whether a recovery code or security questions exist. If you maintain multiple accounts, flag the one that receives most financial statements and password resets.
Your cloud photo library is not just pictures; it’s the family story. Give your trustee access authority and practical instructions: where the library lives, how storage is paid, how to export or share albums, and who should receive permanent copies. Decide whether you want the library transitioned to a shared family account or archived to external drives that your beneficiaries can hold. If photos are tagged with faces or captions that matter, export metadata so the meaning travels with the files.
Platforms have different policies for memorializing or closing accounts. Your executor should have authority to request memorialization or deletion. In your private letter, state your preference: keep a memorial page for messages, or close accounts to reduce identity‑theft risk. Name a person to manage a memorial page if the platform allows “legacy contacts.” Removing old profiles reduces confusion and prevents bad actors from impersonating you after death.
Executors and trustees spend surprising time chasing subscriptions—software, streaming, cloud storage, domain registrars, premium apps. Your inventory should list recurring charges with the card or account used, renewal dates, and cancellation steps. Encourage your fiduciary to pause or cancel non‑essentials early; small monthly leaks add up. Domain names and website hosting deserve special attention; missed renewals can erase a business or a blog that matters to your family.
Crypto assets are uniquely vulnerable because access depends on private keys or seed phrases that may exist only in your head or on a hardware device. Exchanges will release custodial assets to an estate with the right documents. But for self‑custodied coins, there is no help desk. If your fiduciary doesn’t have the key, the value is gone. The solution is careful documentation outside the will or trust: where wallets are, how to access hardware devices, how to decrypt any encrypted files, and where you keep seed phrases. Do not store the seed phrase in plain text; use a secure method such as a sealed envelope in a safe or bank box that your trustee can access, or a reputable multi‑signature setup where no single person has full control. Spell out whether the trustee is authorized to hire a crypto‑competent professional to assist and pay them reasonable fees from the estate or trust.
If you use multi‑factor or multi‑sig for security, map the process. Ambiguity here is equivalent to disinheritance.
When you die or become incapacitated, your executor, trustee, or agent should take six steps. First, secure your phone, laptop, and any hardware wallets; these are the keys to your digital kingdom. Second, redirect your mail and, where appropriate, access your email under the authority in your documents. Third, notify providers as needed and upload copies of court or trust credentials to unlock administrative portals. Fourth, export or preserve photos, documents, and contact lists before closing accounts. Fifth, stop recurring charges that no longer make sense. Sixth, document everything—what was closed, what was archived, and where digital property went—so beneficiaries can see a clear trail.
Split your digital plan into two parts. Part one lives in your legal documents: the authority clauses that empower your fiduciaries. Part two lives in a private letter of instructions: the inventory, password‑manager info, 2FA notes, device passcodes, seed‑phrase location instructions, and practical workflows. Store Part two with your trust binder at home, not in a sealed bank box that no one can open without court orders. Tell your fiduciaries where it is. Update it when you change phones or switch password managers; stale instructions are the enemy.
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Diana is a freelance writer that has written extensively in the areas of finance, financial planning and estate planning.
Freelance Writer
Diana is a freelance writer that has written extensively in the areas of finance, financial planning and estate planning.
