Leaving a digital legacy: How adeus can help organise and secure your digital assets

We live much of our lives online these days, it has become an integral part of who we are. But have you thought about what happens to your digital legacy after you’re gone?

It’s second nature to safeguard our physical assets, but the majority of us overlook our digital ones. Unfortunately, this can lead to complications for our loved ones.

Without clear instructions or the proper legal permissions, your family could face significant challenges. For example, when trying to access or preserve your online memories, accounts or even money in the future.

Creating a plan to manage your digital assets is a vital step in modern estate planning, alongside drafting an electronic Will.

By documenting your digital wishes and providing a secure way for your loved ones to access important information, you ensure that your digital legacy is protected.

With adeus and a little preparation, your online life can be just as organised and secure as your offline one.

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What is a digital legacy?

A digital legacy covers any information that you have created online during your lifetime.

That could be anything from social media profiles, to stored files, including music and photos, as well as financial and shopping accounts, and emails.

What happens to your entire digital legacy will depend on decisions you can make now, so it’s worth planning ahead.

For example, do you want to bequeath particular photos and videos to your loved ones? Should your social media accounts be deleted and should your Instagram or Facebook friends be notified? Who needs access to any financial accounts, any money in the bank, or important documents after you’re gone? 

At adeus, we’ll help you take care of all your digital legacy planning, so you can get on with your life.

Protect what matters

Digital legacy planning

There are several steps to ensure your digital legacy is protected and your loved ones will be fully informed of your digital wishes.

Pick your digital executor

This is the first step of your digital legacy planning. Your digital executor will take care of all your digital assets after you’re gone.

Try to choose someone who is patient, organised, reliable and knows their way around the internet.

Make sure to ask them if they’re happy to do this, before officially naming them in your Will, so they will be recognised in law as having the authority to act on your behalf.

You can choose the same person to execute your paper or electronic Will, as well as your digital legacy, safely stored in our digital vault. You can provide them detailed instructions in your digital vault, and continually update it so they will have the latest info and instructions when it’s time for them to support.

‍Secure your legacy

List your digital accounts

One of the most crucial parts of your digital legacy is listing all your online accounts.

Don’t include the passwords to access them, your digital executor needs to contact each site individually as currently there is no standard process followed by social media and digital storage companies.

Be sure to include details about which online assets are active or considered inactive, as well as any subscription services.

Also think of other assets that may have economic value or monetary value, such as domain names, photos and videos held in cloud storage:

• Social media platforms
• Google accounts or other email accounts
• Bank accounts
• Loans
• Online credit
• Auction sites
• Betting or gaming sites
• Store or loyalty cards
• Investments
• Music/entertainment streaming sites
• File storage
• Dating sites

When planning ahead, organise the information for your digital executor as follows:

• The digital account’s name
• The digital account’s web address or link
• Your username, login details or ID number
• The email address linked with the account
• Any digital memories or assets connected to the account (think stored photos, documents or videos)

Protect what's yours

Put your digital wishes into words

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Putting your digital affairs in order with adeus is as simple as making a list. You can do it with a cuppa in the comfort of your own home, and store it all in our secure digital vault.

As well as listing your digital presence, your digital estate planning should also include clear instructions on what you want to do with your online accounts after you’re gone. You can do this in your adeus Digital Vault.

For example, some social media platforms enable accounts to be memorialised. Although it is clear that the person behind the account has passed away, photos and memories can still be accessed by friends or family.

It’s worth finding out if each account service has a specific policy for handling digital legacies. Apple’s legacy contact is a good example: it enables your digital executor to request access, though please note that a death certificate is needed.

Alternatively, many people choose to have online afterlives by requesting that any online accounts remain open. You can arrange for your family to manage them and even publish messages in the future.

However, identity theft is increasing, with bad actors using information from dormant social media accounts. We recommend that you have someone proactively monitor your account if you wish to keep it open.

Or you can ask for your accounts to be deleted as part of your digital wishes. Be aware, the latter will permanently remove your social media profile and erase any information held by the accounts,  including photos, videos or documents on the site.

As well as organising your online accounts, digital estate planning also enables you to share sentimental digital assets, such as photos or videos, with family or friends. It also helps avoid the growing tension between personal ownership and corporate control of digital assets.

When planning ahead, make sure you note your wishes in your adeus Digital Vault so your digital executor is aware of all your wishes, so they know what to do with your digital data when the time comes.

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Put your digital wishes in your Will

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Although you can put your digital wishes for your digital assets in a letter, it’s worth knowing that it won’t be legally binding, so it could still cause problems after you’ve gone.

The best way to avoid any confusion on the part of your digital executor, or upset to your loved ones, is to include all your digital wishes in a secure electronic Will, with the details in your adeus Digital Vault.

Everything can be stored in our secure digital vault. Not only can you update it whenever you want, both can also be quickly and easily accessed when the time is right.

If you haven’t got round to making an electronic will, our quick and easy online system can help you get it done in 10 minutes.

It’s not paperwork. It’s an act of love.

Begin your journey

Ready to manage your digital assets and secure your legacy with an electronic Will?

Take the first step by clicking the link below. Don’t worry - we’ll be right by your side at every step.

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