What are your electronics, blog, and online photos worth?
You may have worked with an estate planning attorney to carefully plan your family’s financial future. But did you include your digital assets in that plan. The average adult believes their electronics, socially shared content and blog are worth about $50,000. For many of us the most valuable asset is irreplaceable. Our photos and memories that we share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Other intellectual property may have a market value, a blog with a good following, for instance. Have you made plans for what happens to those when you die?
You probably need to redefine the role of your executor because standard wills and trusts do not address digital accounts. The laborious process that Facebook requires for family members to get access to the account of a deceased loved one adds significant stress to an already overwhelming experience. Because most social accounts restrict access to the account holder and exclude even an executor without explicit written authorization, it is wise to amend your clause on the executor in your will or estate plan to grant permission.
Digital estate planning for financial information
Do you access your bank and investment accounts online? In addition, your insurance and other key documents may only exist in digital form. Your executor needs easy access to this information to settle your estate and close down accounts. We can’t overemphasize the importance of quickly accessing accounts. The chances of identity theft increase upon death.
Updating your digital estate plan
Do you already have an estate plan drawn up by an experienced estate planning attorney? Then, it will just take a quick meeting with an attorney knowledgeable with digital estate planning to eliminate social media problems for your heirs. At GSJones Law Group, we have three experienced estate planning attorneys. They can quickly add digital estate planning to your existing estate plan. And, if you have not gotten around to estate planning, there is no time like the present.