Digital Legacy & Subscriptions
In today’s world, so much of life lives online. From cherished memories and personal emails to bills, passwords, and automatic payments. Planning ahead for your digital presence and recurring services ensures that nothing is forgotten, misused, or left unresolved.
Why This Matters:
The average person has dozens of digital accounts, many tied to sensitive data, financial access, or emotional content. Without a clear plan, these can become burdensome or vulnerable. Documenting your digital life now protects your privacy, preserves your legacy, and eases the transition for those handling your affairs.
Digital Legacy & Online Accounts
Our online presence tells a story, one filled with memories, connections, and important personal information. This section helps you organize the digital accounts, assets, and instructions your loved ones will need to manage your online life with clarity and respect.
What This Means for Your Family:
From email and cloud storage to social media and cryptocurrency, your digital world can feel overwhelming to navigate. With the right guidance in place, your loved ones can access what they need, honor your wishes, and avoid frustration, confusion, or digital risks.
In This Section You'll Find Info On:
- Digital Executors
- Digital Asset Inventory
- Digital Asset Access
- Social Media & Email Instructions
Digital Executor
Appoint someone you trust, ideally someone tech-savvy, to manage your digital assets after your passing. This includes email accounts, cloud storage, social media, and subscription services.
Your digital executor may be the same person as your estate executor, or someone different who’s better equipped to handle online accounts and digital access. Having the right person in place helps protect your privacy, preserve memories, and prevent complications for your loved ones.
Who to Talk To:
Discuss this role with your estate planning attorney to ensure it's legally recognized in your documents.
Digital Asset Inventory
Create a Comprehensive List Including:
- Email accounts and cloud storage
- Social media profiles
- Online banking and investment accounts
- Cryptocurrency wallets and exchanges
- Digital media libraries (iTunes, Kindle, photos)
- Business websites and domain names
Digital Password Vault or List
Make sure your loved ones can access your important digital accounts by creating a secure record of your login credentials. This includes email, banking, social media, cloud storage, and subscription services.
You can use a trusted password manager app or create an encrypted document or handwritten list, whichever feels safest and most manageable for you. What matters most is that it's stored securely and that your digital executor (or another trusted person) knows how to find it when the time comes.
Who to Talk To:
Consult a digital security expert or your estate planning attorney for help choosing a secure method that fits your needs.
Social Media & Email Instructions
Decide what you'd like to happen to your social media and email accounts after you're gone. Whether that means deleting them, preserving them, or converting them into memorial pages.
Many platforms now offer legacy contact settings or memorialization options. Taking a few moments now to set these up can spare your loved ones the emotional burden of navigating unfamiliar policies during a time of grief.
Be sure to write down your preferences and share them with someone you trust.
Who to Talk To:
Review each platform’s settings or help center. You can also speak with your digital executor or estate planning attorney to ensure your wishes are documented.
Managing Subscriptions & Recurring Services
From everyday utilities to entertainment and memberships, many accounts continue billing even after someone passes. Taking time to track and document these services helps prevent unnecessary costs, ensures continuity where needed, and gives your loved ones peace of mind as they manage your affairs.
What This Means for Your Family:
Clear instructions and account lists save your loved ones time, stress, and uncertainty. Instead of digging through paperwork or managing surprise charges, they’ll be equipped to tie up loose ends efficiently, and focus their energy where it’s needed most.
In This Section You'll Find Info On:
- Utility & Service Provider Lists
- Mail Forwarding Plans
- Recurring Payments List
- Cancellation Instructions
Utility & Service Provider List
Keep a list of essential household services such as electricity, gas, water, internet, phone, and home security systems, along with account numbers, provider contact info, and login details if available.
This makes it easier for your loved ones to transfer or close accounts, manage final bills, and keep the home running smoothly during the transition.
Who to Talk To:
You can compile this list on your own or review it with a trusted family member, executor, or estate planning advisor to ensure nothing is missed.
Mail Forwarding Plan
After a loss, important mail can still arrive including bills, legal notices, and sensitive personal information. Without a plan in place, these items may be missed, lost, or even fall into the wrong hands.
Setting up a mail forwarding plan helps protect your identity, ensures nothing important is overlooked, and gives your executor time to manage your affairs with care.
Who to Talk To:
Your estate executor can set this up, or you can arrange it directly through the USPS in advance.
Recurring Payments List
Create a list of any recurring charges tied to your accounts such as streaming services, gym memberships, magazine subscriptions, insurance premiums, professional associations, or automatic charitable donations.
Having this list helps your Power of Attorney or executor cancel services promptly, prevent unnecessary charges, and ensure nothing is overlooked.
Who to Talk To:
Review this list with your financial advisor, executor, or trusted family member to ensure it’s complete and accessible.
Cancellation Instructions
Many accounts, from utilities to subscriptions to insurance policies, require specific documentation, such as a death certificate, to be closed or transferred.
Providing clear cancellation instructions ahead of time can save your loved ones hours of phone calls, paperwork, and frustration. Keep a list of important services, along with contact information and any required documents, in one secure place.