Best Apps to Securely Access Online Account Details After Death
As society has entered a digital age, how we navigate our death and estate planning is changing. Although will and estate planning is known best for the distribution of assets like properties, investments, and more, the range of assets to account for is quickly expanding. Now, comprehensive end-of-life planning also involves the distribution of digital assets, such as cloud accounts, social media accounts, websites, and more. In this article, we will explore digital assets, the concept of digital inheritance, and the necessity of preparing these assets for transfer. Additionally, we’ll explore Life After Me, a digital app built to contain and protect your digital assets, ensuring they aren’t lost or forgotten.
What Are Digital Assets?
Digital assets can be defined as any piece of online property you own, from online accounts to digital content. Social media profiles, email accounts, cloud storage data, online banking details, digital photos, cryptocurrency, and any other online accounts can all be considered your digital assets. Essentially, digital assets are anything stored electronically that holds personal value to the account holder or that could have potential financial value.
What Is Digital Inheritance?
Digital inheritance refers to the transfer of your digital assets to your heirs after your passing. Just like physical assets such as real estate or bank accounts, digital assets require a plan for succession when a loved one dies. Digital inheritance includes the rights and responsibilities that come with accessing, managing, or deleting these accounts.
Different platforms have various policies regarding what happens to accounts after death, especially in relation to privacy and security. Therefore, having a clear plan for how your digital assets will be handled upon your passing is essential for ensuring they are not deleted or lost.
The Importance of Preparing Digital Assets to Be Passed On
As everyday life has become increasingly digital, our technology and digital accounts are now a major part of who we are. Your digital presence, including photos, social media memories, and personal documents, is part of your legacy. Many individuals have financial assets that exist solely in digital form, such as cryptocurrency holdings or digital licenses, which need careful management and inheritance planning. Being prepared allows any heirs to navigate legal complexities that arise when accessing your accounts. It also takes the logistical burden of accessing digital assets off the heir’s shoulders, allowing them to focus on grieving rather than how to securely enter your digital accounts and properties.
Although nothing truly disappears on the internet, the internet is estimated to house around 120 billion terabytes of digital information. A loved one’s digital presence can be lost and extremely difficult to recover if not accessible, increasing in obscurity as time passes. This makes efforts for preservation imperative if any digital property is to be saved.
Digital Assets to Access After Death
There is an almost infinite amount of digital assets, accounts, and content that can be accessed after death.
Phone PIN
One of the first steps in accessing a loved one’s digital assets is unlocking their mobile phone. Mobile devices contain a treasure trove of information, including financial apps, photos, and personal notes. That being said, accessing a deceased loved one's phone typically requires knowing their PIN or password. It’s important to ensure heirs can access this digital information in a secure and planned manner.
Cloud Accounts
Cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud store essential documents, photos, and emails. These services may have policies in place for posthumous access. Google has a feature called "Inactive Account Manager," which allows you to select trusted contacts who can receive access to your account or have data deleted.
Social Media Accounts
Besides the major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, there’s also small platforms all across the web that your loved one may have been active on. While the more major platforms usually have settings for managing accounts after death, other smaller platforms may require login information to be stored proactively. In obtaining access, friends and family can keep your memory alive while controlling what gets shared.
Websites
If your loved one runs a personal blog, website, or e-commerce store, have them consider how they want these digital presences to be handled. It may involve transferring the domain registration, the content itself, or deciding whether the site should be taken down. Document any login information securely to ensure a smooth transition.
Reasons to Use a Digital End-of-Life Planning App
With an increasing number of digital assets, many are turning to digital end-of-life planning apps. These applications can help you create a comprehensive inventory of your digital assets and share access information with designated heirs. Here are a few reasons to consider using a digital end-of-life planning app:
Organizational Benefits: Digital end-of-life planning apps help you keep your digital accounts organized, sorting them by category and importance.
Secure Sharing: These apps include features to securely share access credentials with trusted individuals, ensuring they know how to access your assets without violating privacy.
Peace of Mind: Knowing that your digital presence will be carefully managed when you’re gone can bring peace of mind, both to you and your loved ones.
Pre-Dementia and Alzheimer's Planning: If a loved one expects to struggle with Dementia or Alzheimer’s later in life, end-of-life digital planning apps can be a proactive asset distribution solution. It gives loved ones the opportunity to make choices about their digital asset distribution.
Preserving Digital Memories: Photos, videos, writing, art, and other kinds of important content owned by a loved one can be found exclusively via the internet or phone and computer storage. Using a digital end-of-life planning app will make sure these memories and creations are kept as keepsakes and not lost to time.
Protect Your Digital Assets with Life After Me
Among other digital end-of-life planning tools is Life After Me, an app that allows users to document their digital assets and specifies what should happen to them after death. It provides a non-complicated solution to preserving your digital assets with a user-friendly interface for recording account information, establishing beneficiaries, and outlining how each asset should be handled. Whether you want certain content deleted, other content preserved in an archive, or only certain people to access specific accounts, Life After Me lends you the autonomy you deserve with your digital presence.
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FAQ About Life After Me
Is Life After Me a Will?
Life After Me is not a legally binding will. It's a digital planning tool designed to organize and share password information and manage digital assets. However, it can complement a traditional will by providing the details of your digital assets.
Do I Need a Will to Distribute Digital Assets?
While it's not a legal requirement to have a will to distribute your digital assets, having one in place greatly simplifies the process. A will can provide clear and legally-binding instructions on how your assets are to be divided among heirs, including digital properties. Additionally, various platforms have their own policies for transferring accounts upon death, making it wise to include directives for digital assets in your will.
As you consider your digital future, remember that planning for your digital assets is an essential part of estate planning. From recognizing what digital assets you have to utilizing apps like Life After Me, taking proactive steps ensures that your online legacy and digital presence are appropriately handled after your passing. In doing so, you will provide your family and friends with the comfort of being able to preserve your memories and manage your online affairs with ease.