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Law Offices of Deborah G. Matthews

Law Offices


703.548.3699
info@dmatthewslaw.com

Who Cares for Your Digital Life and Afterlife?

August 21, 2014 by Deborah Matthews

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.

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Filed Under: Digital Property Tagged With: Deleware, digital inventory, digital property, Estate Planning, The Washington Post

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My office is located on
Tavern Square in
Old Town Alexandria

110 North Royal Street
Suite 575
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
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Practice Areas

  • Estate Planning
  • Probate
  • Trust and Estate Administration

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Awards and Recognition

  • Exemplary Service Award from Mount Vernon Unitarian Church: for tireless efforts to support refugees around the globe, including the Afghan family that MVUC supports locally, with Co-Chair Roberta Finkelstein.
  • Door Opener Society member, Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, 2021
  • Fellow, Class of 2020, Virginia Law Foundation
  • Leader in the Law, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, 2019
  • Recognition from Delegate Paul Krizek for HB1559, extending renewal period for “Senior IDs
  • Fairfax County Public Schools, thank you for donating 2,000+ masks for vulnerable students- 2020
  • Recognition from Delegate Scott A. Surovell for suggested legislation HB1973 – Clarifying Control of Real Estate Brokerages
  • Fairfax Bar Association, Pro Bono Attorney of the Year 2012
  • American Gar Association GP|Solo, Chairman’s Award, for her leadership of the National Solo and Small Firm Conference, August 2008
  • American Bar Association GP|Solo “Star of the Quarter”
  • Fairfax Bar Association, President’s Award, 2006

Community Events

  • “Simple Estate Planning”, Northern Virginia Pro Bono Law Center CLE – training for lawyer volunteers to assist low income seniors and people with disabilities with estate planning.

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Deborah G. Matthews
110 North Royal Street, Suite 575
Alexandria, Virginia 22314

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