What is Digital Estate Planning? A Beginner's Guide

Why Digital Estate Planning Matters

In today's world, much of our lives exist online — from banking and investments to social media accounts and cloud-stored photos. Digital estate planning is the process of organizing and documenting your digital presence so that your loved ones can access, manage, or close your accounts when needed.

Without a plan, families face months of frustration trying to recover passwords, locate accounts, or access important files. In some cases, digital assets are lost forever.

What Counts as a Digital Asset?

Digital assets include more than you might think:

Getting Started in 5 Steps

Step 1: Create an Inventory

List every online account you use. Include the platform name, your username or email, and the type of account. You don't need to store passwords here — just document what exists.

Step 2: Choose a Secure Storage Method

Use a dedicated platform like Legacy Plans to store access instructions securely. Never leave passwords in plain text documents or sticky notes.

Step 3: Designate a Digital Executor

Choose someone you trust to manage your digital accounts. Make sure they know they've been chosen and understand their responsibilities.

Step 4: Document Your Wishes

For each account, note what should happen: Should it be closed? Memorialized? Transferred? Your wishes guide your executor's decisions.

Step 5: Keep It Updated

Review your digital estate plan at least once a year. Add new accounts, remove old ones, and update access information as needed.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

How Legacy Plans Helps

Legacy Plans provides a secure, organized platform to document all your digital assets, store access instructions with encryption, and designate trusted contacts who can access the information when needed. Our verification system ensures your data is only shared at the right time.

Start your digital estate plan today — it takes less than 15 minutes to get the basics in place.