Digital Estate Planning: Securing Accounts for the Future

Most people underestimate how many accounts they have. Check your email for account creation confirmations, review your password manager, and scan your phone's installed apps.

Step 2: Set Up Legacy Contacts and Inactive Account Policies

Major platforms now offer built-in legacy tools:

Apple (Legacy Contact): Settings → [your name] → Password & Security → Legacy Contact. This person can access your iCloud data (photos, notes, messages, etc.) after your death using a recovery key plus your death certificate.

Google (Inactive Account Manager): myaccount.google.com/inactive. You set a period of inactivity (3, 6, 12, or 18 months). After that period, Google can notify up to 10 people and share account data with them. You can also choose to have the account deleted.

Facebook (Legacy Contact): Settings → Memorialization Settings. Choose a legacy contact who can manage your memorialized profile — posting tributes, updating profile photos, and responding to friend requests. Alternatively, you can request account deletion after death.

Instagram: Contact Instagram with a death certificate to memorialize or remove an account. No pre-set legacy contact feature yet.

X (Twitter): Allows deactivation of deceased users' accounts upon request from family members with appropriate documentation.

IsThisAScam's 6-layer detection can help executors and family members identify scam messages targeting the bereaved — a cruel but common fraud type where scammers impersonate deceased persons' banks, insurance companies, or digital services to extract money from grieving families.

Step 3: Secure Your Password Manager as the Central Hub

Your password manager is the master key to your digital life. Ensure your designated person can access it:

Bitwarden: Offers an Emergency Access feature. Designate a trusted contact who can request access to your vault. You set a waiting period (1-30 days) during which you can deny the request if you're still alive and active.

1Password: Supports a "Recovery Group" feature for family plans. Individual users should include their master password in their estate planning documents.

LastPass: Offers Emergency Access similar to Bitwarden.

Store your master password or recovery instructions in a sealed envelope in a safe deposit box, with your attorney, or in another physically secure location. A digital master key needs a physical backup.

Step 4: Handle Cryptocurrency Specifically

Cryptocurrency requires special attention because there is no customer service, no account recovery, and no central authority. If your private keys or recovery seed phrase are lost, the assets are permanently inaccessible.

• Write your recovery seed phrase on durable material (metal backup plates are ideal)
• Store it in a secure physical location (safe deposit box or fireproof safe)
• Include clear instructions on how to access and transfer the cryptocurrency
• Consider a multisig setup where multiple people each hold one key required for access
• Do not store seed phrases digitally unless in an encrypted vault with a physical backup of the decryption key

Step 5: Include Digital Assets in Your Legal Will

Mention digital assets specifically in your will and grant your executor authority to access and manage digital accounts. Many states have adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which governs executor access to digital accounts — but platform terms of service may still restrict access without proper legal authorization.

Work with an estate attorney who understands digital assets. Generic wills often don't address digital property adequately.

Step 6: Document Recurring Payments

Active subscriptions and recurring payments continue charging after death until someone cancels them. Keep a list of all recurring charges — streaming services, cloud storage, domains, memberships, charitable donations — so your executor can cancel them promptly.

Protecting Against Estate-Related Scams

Scammers target bereaved families with fake messages claiming the deceased owed debts, had unclaimed assets, or had accounts that need "verification." These are particularly effective because the family is under stress and may not know the details of the deceased's financial life.

• Never provide personal information or payment in response to unsolicited claims about a deceased person's accounts
• Verify all claims directly with the institution through known contact information
• Be aware that obituaries provide scammers with information they use to target families

For more on securing your accounts, see our guides on creating strong passwords and enabling 2FA.