As an avid gamer, internet-savvy millennial, and self-proclaimed tech-nerd, a thought occurred to me: What will happen to all my digital assets if I die? I didn’t get my paladin to level 120 with a complete set of epic heroic raid gear just to let it all go to waste if I ever kick the bucket. I should leave my digital gaming assets to someone who can truly appreciate them. Then I realized there are all sorts of digital assets that I have that will need to be managed if I am gone.
Years ago, when a family member or friend died, you would go through their personal belongings, pick up their mail, and gather all their important paperwork. Having experienced this, I can tell you it’s a massive burden to undertake. There is always a feeling you are missing something or that a vital document might be hidden somewhere. But now, we live in a digital era. Think about it: your email, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media contain piles of information about you. Thousands of pictures, posts, and notes to friends cannot easily be obtained without a plan. More importantly, your stock portfolio, bank information, loan paperwork, and credit card statements are likely all delivered online.
Without proper planning, your family is going to have a tough time obtaining this information. While there are statutes that address this issue, there are a few ways you can help your family access your private online accounts. This will avoid headaches and delays in administering your estate. Here are my suggestions.
- Go through your accounts and assign a trusted person to manage them should you give up the ghost. While I do not use social media often, Facebook allows users to assign a trusted person to manage your account upon your death. You can even arrange to have your account permanently deleted after you are gone. Other social media sites have a similar feature. Check your bank or retirement fund accounts to see if they have a feature that allows a trusted person to access your accounts.
- If some accounts do not have those features, you can share your passwords with your spouse or a trusted guildmate *Ahem* eh friend. Now, I can’t stop you from using the same username and password for everything, but DO NOT USE THE SAME USERNAME AND PASSWORD FOR EVERYTHING. That is a terrible idea. To allow access to your accounts, you could write down your passwords and keep the paper in a safe place. Alternatively, and as I recommend, get a password manager to save all your passwords.
Password managers often allow you to share your passwords with a trusted ally. IE a spouse, family member, or trusted friend. That way, they can log into the password management system and easily log into your accounts. It’s secure and avoids any problems with the two terrible techniques I mentioned above.
- Keep a folder of bookmarks with all your important websites. You can categorize the bookmarks for finance, personal sites, or even gaming. That way, it’s easy for your loved ones to contact the websites and inform them of your death.
This is a great plan, especially for online gamers. I’ve been part of several online gaming communities where we had a friend die. Frequently, they just disappear and are never heard from again. If you are a gamer, it’s comforting to know that your family can let your guild, clan, or digital buddies know that you passed.
Your will can specify your wishes regarding your digital assets, give consent to communicate electronic information to relevant persons, decrypt data, and reset passwords.
Remember to keep your list of relevant sites updated regularly. If you chose to write everything down on paper, make sure you update the list whenever your passwords change. This will help avoid legal problems for your family and the pitfalls involved in data encryption and unauthorized access to your electronic information. It will allow your family to download and preserve your pictures and video so they can view them for years to come.
If you would like to talk about drafting or amending your will to address this matter, feel free to call Nobleheart at 612-208-7780 or contact me through the online form.
Remember, this blog is not legal or other professional advice and does not necessarily represent the opinion of Nobleheart Legal. Viewing this site, using information from it, or communicating with Nobleheart Legal through this site by Internet email does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and Nobleheart Legal PLLC.