What happens with your digital life when you die or if you are in a coma?
The Washington Post interviewed me in a piece that highlighted Delaware’s new law that grants access to digital property owned by someone who is incapacitated or has died.
As I told the reporter, in my practice I regularly see loved ones struggling to manage someone’s affairs because the accounts are “locked” in a digital world. No longer can they simply wait for the mail to bring a monthly statement to give them some direction. Assets can remain secreted away.
You want your loved ones to care for you if you can’t. Help them by preparing an inventory of your digital property. This includes assets like financial accounts, liabilities like mortgages and credit cards, and personal matters like smartphones, family photos, and social media.
To get started on your digital inventory, download this digital property inventory at no cost.
Once you’ve prepared your digital inventory, the next challenge is keeping it current. Make a recurring note on your electronic calendar for your birthday and your half birthday (another opportunity to celebrate you!) to review your inventory. Have you added accounts or changed passwords? The list may not be current to the minute, but you will have provided tremendous help.
Then the challenge is determining where to keep your inventory so your loved ones can find it and also letting them know you have created it. They will be grateful that you took the time to make your digital inventory.
