Do You Have a Digital Estate Plan?

After you pass away, what will become of your digital assets — things like your social media accounts and email accounts? Most people don’t really think about this matter. But it pays to do so. Pre-planning final services with a funeral home in Riverside, IL is always a good idea. And you’ll want to make arrangements ahead of time so that your accounts can be closed after your passing. Here’s a look at how to create a digital estate plan that will ensure your wishes are known. You’ll find that it’s not nearly as difficult as it looks. 

Jot Down All Your Digital Assets…and Keep it Current 

Arguably the most important step, if you want to create a digital estate plan, is to compile a list of your digital assets. You will likely continue to add different digital accounts – like social media, email, and financial – going forward. So you will need to keep your list up to date. It’s also a good idea to list computers, smartphones, and other devices that may contain your digital assets. For instance, your digital camera may contain a treasure trove of pictures and videos.  

Choose Someone to Serve as Digital Executor 

After compiling a list of your digital assets, choose someone to serve in the capacity of a digital executor…your digital executor. It needs to be someone you trust, someone you can count on, someone who will follow your instructions to the very letter. The reason you need to choose carefully is that the digital executor will need to have access to your usernames, passwords, and other online credentials to access your digital assets. Of course, they won’t necessarily need these things right now. Just make sure that they will gain access to your account information after you pass away. And ensure you communicate exactly what they’re to do. 

Ensure Your Digital Executor Knows What You Want to be Done 

It’s not enough to simply choose the right digital executor – you also need to carefully explain to them what you want them to do on your behalf. If you want all your digital assets closed, let them know. You should also check with the various social media, email, and financial companies with whom you have accounts to see what their policies are for closing the accounts of deceased account holders. Consider this information when you choose a digital executor. 

Find a Safe Place to Keep Your Digital Estate Plan 

You’ll also want to keep your digital estate plan in a secure place so that it’s safe and sound until it’s needed. For instance, you might want to keep the information on a portable hard drive and then place the portable hard drive into a safe in your home office or bedroom. 

These are just a few things to keep in mind if you’re interested in creating a digital estate plan. While you’re at it, don’t forget about the importance of pre-planning your final service. Doing this is not only important for you, but also for your family since they will be spared from having to do so. If you’re looking for a funeral home that can help you make final services arrangements or that can simply answer your questions, get in touch. We’re a reputable and dependable funeral home dedicated to helping people with their final services planning and pre-planning. So if you need a funeral home serving Riverside, IL families, give us a call, pay us a visit, or check us out online at https://www.johnsonnosek.com/.