Why Your Estate Plan Should Cover Your Digital Life

When most people think about estate planning, they picture the usual suspects — wills, trusts, maybe a family home or a few cherished heirlooms. But there’s something just as real, just as valuable, and often completely overlooked: your digital life. 

From online banking and investment accounts to your social media profiles, photo libraries, and password managers — your digital presence is part of your legacy. It deserves the same level of care and protection as your physical assets. 

What Exactly Is a Digital Estate Plan? 

It’s the part of your estate plan that outlines what happens to your online accounts and assets when you’re no longer around. It can include: 

• Email accounts 
• Social media profiles (like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn) 
• Online banking and investment platforms 
• Cloud storage for photos and documents 
• Subscriptions and digital memberships 
• E-commerce or online business logins 
• Password managers and login credentials 

Without a plan, your loved ones could be left with locked-out accounts, legal headaches, or even identity theft risks. Worse — precious memories and important records may be lost for good. 

Why It Matters 

Your digital life isn’t just made of data. It holds stories, memories, private conversations, financial details, and — in many cases — the backbone of your professional life. Planning ahead allows you to: 

• Decide who can access what 
• Clarify what should be saved, deleted, or passed on 
• Protect sensitive personal information 
• Prevent unauthorized access 
• Ensure your intentions are honored — both online and off 

Real-Life Examples 

One of our clients wanted her children to have access to her iCloud photo albums, but not her personal emails. We helped her document that clearly, so there’d be no confusion or conflict down the line. 

Another client ran an online business through Shopify and PayPal. Without a digital estate plan, her family would have faced months of red tape — or worse, lost income. 

These aren’t outliers. These scenarios are becoming the new normal. 

Getting Started 

The good news? You don’t have to figure it out alone. When we design your estate plan, we’ll guide you through how to handle your digital world with just as much clarity and thoughtfulness as your tangible assets. 

Here’s how we help: 

• Identify and catalog your key digital assets 
• Choose trusted people to manage or close specific accounts 
• Create clear instructions — legally documented 
• Integrate everything seamlessly into your overall plan 

Your estate plan should reflect your whole life — not just the parts you can hold in your hand. Let’s make sure your digital legacy is just as protected as everything else you care about. 

📅 Book your Peace of Mind Planning Session today and we’ll walk through it all, together.