Remember the simple “good old days?” Pre-computer, cellphone, and the digital world? Just twenty years ago when someone died the executor would follow a pretty simple roadmap to settle the estate - accumulate the mail for a couple of months, go through files, and clean out the desk to collect all financial, legal, and health information. Now with a significant portion of our lives lived online, executorship can create a big headache for those left behind. How will your executor find your digital information, accounts, etc. if they have no clue what they’re looking for?Inventory your digital legacy now - email, online bank accounts, and social media - as part of your estate planning. This can be overwhelming to think about organizing. For starters, break down your digital legacy into manageable categories. There are four categories to address.
Passwords
Firstly, your executor needs to be able to access your phone, your computer, and your accounts. Password managers are a very reliable tool for password management. They store your passwords and allow one designated emergency contact to access your “vault” upon your death or incapacitation. It is also advisable to keep your passwords in a Master Access Document that you create for your executor. This Master Access Document will include all of the secure information necessary upon your death including passwords and financial information. Communicate to your executor where this document will be kept - in a safe and protected location.
Your Financial Life
Your executor should be able to access your bank accounts, credit cards, insurance policies, and investment accounts online. Include these passwords and access information in your Master Access Document. Also document your recurring payments, like subscriptions, utilities, loans, tuition, etc. This will be very helpful to your executor.
Credit Cards. Your executor should collect all of your cards and contact each company immediately to cancel the cards. They will need your name, social security number and the reason for the cancellation. Upon canceling a credit card for death, all of the subscription payments associated with that credit card will be canceled as well. Saves you a lot of work!
Email & Social Media
Email Addresses. Include the passwords to your email accounts in your Master Access Document.
Social Media. Instagram will allow an account to be memorialized. Twitter will let an executor or family member deactivate an account. They will need to fill out a privacy form to report a death along with a death certificate, username, and proof of relationship with the executor to get the account deleted.- Gmail allows you to set up an “inactive account manager” which means that your designee will be notified if you don’t log in your account for a certain period of time.
- Microsoft sends a DVD of all the account data to the executor.
- Yahoo does not turn over any account under any circumstances.
- AOL will transfer ownership to any other username listed on the account.
You can assign a legacy contact on your Facebook account by completing this form. Provide your name and email, along with the name of the deceased and the URL of their Facebook profile. There is an option to either delete or memorialize the account. Choose a legacy contact so that your account can be disposed of as you wish. You can assign someone by going to Settings > Security > Legacy Contact.
Adolf Funeral Home and Cremation Services prides itself on providing exemplary customer services. We take every measure to ensure you are satisfied with all your funeral planning and burial needs during this sensitive time of grieving and mourning and will do whatever it takes to make our positive workplace environment translate to your experience with us. Serving the Berwyn and Willowbrook areas for several years, we pride ourselves on being large enough to provide professionalism and reliability, yet small enough to provide personalized service. To learn more about how we can serve you, please visit our website or call one of our locations today.
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