How to Protect Crypto, Social Media, Photos & More
When most people think about estate planning, they think about their home, bank accounts, investments, and other physical property. But what about everything that exists online?
Today, our digital lives can include cryptocurrency, social media accounts, digital photos, email, cloud storage, websites, online businesses, subscriptions, and other personal information.
So, what happens to all of it when you die?
Without a plan, your loved ones may not know what digital assets you have, how to access them, or what you wanted to happen to them.
That is why digital assets should be part of your estate planning conversation.
What Are Digital Assets?
A digital asset is something you own, use, or have rights to that exists online or on an electronic device. Some digital assets may have financial value, while others may hold personal or sentimental value.
For example, digital assets can include:
- Cryptocurrency and digital investments
- Social media accounts
- Digital photographs and videos
- Email accounts
- Cloud storage
- Websites and domain names
- Online businesses
- Digital documents
- Online shopping or rewards accounts
- Music, movies, books, and other digital purchases
- Subscriptions and memberships
- Gaming accounts and digital items
Some accounts may contain valuable property. Others may simply contain information or memories that your family may want to preserve.
1. Cryptocurrency and Digital Investments
For example, cryptocurrency deserves special attention because accessing it may depend on having the right information and login details.
If you own cryptocurrency, your estate plan should take into account how your loved ones or the people you have chosen to help you will know that it exists. They may also need to know how to properly access and manage it.
Depending on how you hold your cryptocurrency, this could involve information about exchanges, digital wallets, private keys, or other access methods.
Simply knowing that someone owns cryptocurrency may not be enough for a family member to locate or access it.
At the same time, sensitive information such as private keys and passwords should remain secure. Your estate plan and supporting records can work together to give your loved ones clear instructions without unnecessarily exposing private information.
2. Social Media Accounts
What happens to your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or other social media accounts?
Different platforms have different rules for accounts belonging to someone who has died. Some may offer memorial options, while others may allow an account to be deleted.
Because of this, your estate plan can help communicate your wishes about your online presence. You can also identify the person you want to handle these matters.
For example, you may want certain accounts preserved as a memorial. You may want others deleted. You may also want someone to save photographs or other information before an account is closed.
The important thing is to make your wishes known instead of leaving your family to guess.
3. Digital Photos and Memories
For many families, some of their most treasured possessions are no longer stored in photo albums.
Instead, they are on phones, computers, external hard drives, Google Photos, iCloud, Dropbox, and other cloud-based services.
Consider what would happen if your family did not know where those photographs were stored.
A plan for your digital assets can help your loved ones identify where important memories are located and understand what you would like them to do with them.
For example, you might want family photographs preserved, shared with certain people, or moved to a particular location.
4. Email and Cloud Accounts
Email accounts can contain years of correspondence, important documents, receipts, financial information, photographs, and other personal records.
Likewise, cloud storage may contain everything from tax documents to family photographs.
However, your loved ones may not be able to access these accounts easily, even if they know the accounts exist. Online service providers have their own rules and procedures for handling accounts after someone’s death.
Rather than assuming your family will simply be able to log in, include your digital accounts in your overall estate planning strategy.
5. Websites and Online Businesses
Do you own a website, blog, domain name, online store, or other digital business?
These assets may have real financial value and may require someone to manage them after your death.
If no one knows that the business exists or how it operates, valuable income, customer information, intellectual property, or other assets could be overlooked.
For business owners, digital assets should be part of both estate planning and business succession planning.
6. Digital Subscriptions and Online Accounts
Not every digital asset has financial value, but that does not mean you should ignore it.
Think about the subscriptions and online accounts you maintain, including streaming services, online memberships, software subscriptions, shopping accounts, and rewards programs.
Your loved ones may eventually need to determine which accounts they should cancel, transfer, or otherwise address.
As a result, a simple inventory can make this process much easier.
7. Create a Digital Asset Inventory
One of the most helpful things you can do is create a digital asset inventory.
This does not mean you need to put every password into your will. Instead, consider creating a secure record that identifies important digital assets and explains where the information needed to manage them can be found.
For example, your inventory might include:
| Digital Asset | What to Identify |
|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency | Exchange, wallet, and access information |
| Social Media | Accounts and your wishes for each |
| Photos | Devices and cloud storage locations |
| Important accounts and providers | |
| Websites | Domains, hosting, and administrators |
| Online Business | Platforms, accounts, and key contacts |
| Subscriptions | Important services to cancel or manage |
Keep this information secure and update it whenever your digital life changes.
Should You Put Passwords in Your Will?
Generally, you should not use your will as a place to store passwords.
A will may become part of a public court proceeding after death, depending on the circumstances and jurisdiction. For that reason, putting sensitive passwords or private keys directly into your will could create security concerns.
Instead, talk with your estate planning attorney about how to organize your digital asset information and securely make it available to the right person.
Your estate planning documents and your digital asset inventory should work together.
Don’t Forget About Privacy
Digital estate planning is not only about giving someone access. It is also about protecting your privacy.
Your email, messages, photographs, financial information, and other digital accounts may contain information that you would not want shared with everyone.
Therefore, think carefully about:
- Who should have access?
- What should be preserved?
- What should be deleted?
- What should remain private?
- Who should be responsible for handling your digital assets?
These decisions can matter just as much as deciding who receives your physical property.
Your Digital Life Is Part of Your Estate, Too
Estate planning has changed because our lives have changed.
Your estate is not limited to your house, car, bank accounts, and other physical belongings. Your digital life can include money, investments, important information, business interests, and irreplaceable memories.
Taking time to identify your digital assets and communicate your wishes can make things much easier for the people you leave behind.
A good estate plan should reflect the life you actually live—including the digital one.
If you have not considered what should happen to your digital assets, cryptocurrency, social media accounts, photographs, or online accounts, now is a good time to add them to the conversation.
At Monteleon Law, we can help you think through the legal and practical considerations of including your digital assets in your overall estate plan.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and ensure your power of attorney documents protect what matters most.
For more information on estate planning and elder law, visit our Resources page to explore previous blog articles, newsletters, and our informative webinar series.
This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Estate planning needs vary based on individual circumstances. If you have questions about your family’s estate plan, consider speaking with an experienced estate planning attorney.
