Digital Estate Planning

Digital estate planning is the process of organising, managing, and securing your online accounts, digital assets, and electronic information so that they can be properly accessed, transferred, or closed when you’re no longer able to manage them yourself.

Just like a traditional will ensures your money, property, and belongings are handled according to your wishes, a digital estate plan covers your digital life. 

This includes:

• Online accounts – email, social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), online banking, shopping, and subscriptions.
   
• Digital assets – photos, videos, music libraries, eBooks, documents, cryptocurrency, domain names, and cloud storage.
   
• Access details – usernames, passwords, and security keys stored safely so that loved ones or executors can manage them.
   
• Instructions – what you’d like to happen with your digital presence (e.g., memorialising a Facebook page, closing accounts, passing on family photos).
   

• Prevents loved ones from being locked out of important accounts or memories.
   
• Reduces risk of identity theft or fraud after death.
   
• Provides clarity and comfort during an already stressful time.
   
• Ensures your wishes are respected in both your real-world and digital life.
   

A digital estate plan can be as simple as keeping a secure list of your online accounts and passwords with instructions, or as detailed as appointing a “digital executor” in your will to manage everything.

In the UK, it’s increasingly recommended by solicitors, financial advisers, and care organisations as more of our lives move online.