One client I’ve been working with lost their spouse several years ago. She had all her financial accounts organized, but when it came time to get a new computer, she realized she’d never set up a password manager. Everything was jotted down on paper, scattered and incomplete. We’re working through it now, but it’s a process that didn’t need to be this hard.
Her situation isn’t unusual. When you’re creating your estate plan, you’re probably thinking about who should get your lake house or the heirlooms passed down from grandparents.
But here’s something that often gets overlooked:
In 2026, a significant portion of your life likely exists online, from email to social media and digital subscriptions.
These digital assets have sentimental, practical, or monetary value, and your family members may not even know about some of them. Here’s how we work with you to keep these pieces of your life safe, secure, and accessible to the right people at the right time.
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What Is Digital Estate Planning?
Digital estate planning helps ensure that your online accounts and digital property can be accessed and managed properly after you pass away or become incapacitated. Without it, your loved ones may face locked accounts, lost data, and legal roadblocks that make an already difficult time even harder.
I’ve seen firsthand what happens when clients don’t have this in place.
- Heirs struggle to access locked or forgotten accounts, leading to risk of identity theft and loss of sentimental data.
- Legal delays in probate can become expensive.
- Bills go unpaid during incapacity because family members can’t access online accounts.
- Family photos, videos, and personal writing stored in the cloud may be deleted or become inaccessible if not properly documented.
- Cryptocurrency can be permanently lost if no one has the credentials.
But you can’t simply incorporate digital assets into your estate plan the way you would physical property, because the rules are different. Most providers have their own policies, and federal privacy laws add another layer of complexity. That’s why this requires intentional planning, often alongside a financial planner and an estate planning attorney.
What Digital Items are Worth Protecting?
Don’t assume your digital assets have no value: Frequent flyer points from airlines may be transferable after death if you follow the right steps, credit cards with cash-back balances can be redeemable, and PayPal or Venmo accounts may have money in them. Even internet domain names are potentially sellable, and blogs can be a form of intellectual property with potential value.
If you’re ever unsure whether an asset is worth adding to your digital estate plan, we’re here to help you make the call.
Who Needs a Digital Estate Plan?
Nearly everyone can benefit from digital estate planning. I’ve had conversations about this with clients across the spectrum:
- Families who store photos, videos, and important documents online have irreplaceable memories at stake.
- Professionals who use digital platforms for work or side businesses (and need to think about continuity).
- Investors with cryptocurrency, online brokerage accounts, or private investments outside their primary custodian need these assets documented.
- Seniors, who increasingly rely on online accounts for banking and communication, and who can be particularly vulnerable to identity theft if their information isn’t properly secured.
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The Digital Estate Planning Playbook
While every client is different, there are a few key “rules” and digital estate best practices that apply to individuals across the board. We help you think through these decisions, organize any necessary documentation, and communicate any necessary information with your loved ones.
1. Decide how you want your online presence handled.
Together, we consider what should happen to your social media accounts after you’re gone. Facebook, for example, allows you to name a legacy contact who can memorialize your account, post an obituary, or close it. Google has an Inactive Account Manager that lets you name trusted contacts to receive specific data.
These tools exist; most people just haven’t set them up.
2. Create a secure inventory of all digital accounts (and who might need access to them).
One exercise we can do is to list every financial, social, and service account you have, along with login credentials. This includes:
- Banking
- Insurance accounts
- Investment accounts
- Subscriptions
- Anything with a username and password
We then think through who might need access to those accounts in your stead, and how we can grant them that access at the right time. One reason we do this is so that if you become incapacitated, your loved ones can get access to any documents they may need.
I once knew a client who became suddenly incapacitated. Luckily, they had long-term care benefits, but the policy had a long elimination period before payouts began. Because the family couldn’t easily access online accounts to pay bills and track reimbursements, it became a logistical nightmare for everyone involved. That’s why digital organization matters before something happens, not just after.
We help you find a secure place to store this inventory (and it’s never in an email account or on an unlocked phone!).
3. Use a password manager.
Password managers store your credentials in a digital vault and can be set up to transfer access to a representative at a specific event, like death or incapacity. This is one of the most practical (and simple) steps you can take, and we can help you find a right-fit tool for your specific needs.
4. Store physical records securely.
Physical copies of important documents can easily be lost or misplaced. We often remind our clients to put any sensitive documentation, such as old checkbooks, where visitors won’t accidentally find them (and yes, this includes making sure your cleaning service doesn’t accidentally find your Post-it note of passwords).
If you do write anything down, keep it in a lockbox with a key that only you and a trusted family member can access.
5. Update your legal documents.
We work with your estate planning attorney to add language to your will, power of attorney, and any revocable living trust that gives lawful consent for providers to share your electronic communications with the appropriate named people.
Remember that technology is constantly advancing. For new clients who haven’t updated their estate plan in eight to ten years or longer, it often doesn’t include these provisions.
6. Give your fiduciary password access (without making it public).
Under the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADA), most states allow you to give your fiduciary legal access to manage your digital assets. Without the proper consent in place, they won’t have the authority to access your electronic communications.
You can (and probably should) authorize your fiduciary to access digital assets, but the actual credentials should never be stored in your will, because wills become public upon your passing.
At Team Hewins, we guide you through these conversations and help coordinate with your estate planning attorney and CPA. We also offer tools like our client portal, shared Box folders, and the eMoney platform within our financial planning system, all of which allow you to store documents securely and give your fiduciary easier access when needed.
A Small Step, A Lasting Clarity
Nobody wants to spend their weekend thinking about what happens to their email after they’re gone. But by taking even a few hours to organize your digital life today, we can prevent future confusion, reduce the emotional burden on your loved ones, and strengthen your overall estate plan.
Every photo, message, and account you’ve created tells part of your story. Digital estate planning helps ensure that story is preserved, and that your loved ones have the tools they need to honor it responsibly.
If you have questions about your own digital estate plan, reach out to your advisor. This is exactly the kind of conversation we have with clients all the time, and we’re happy to help you think through it.
And if you’re not yet working with Team Hewins, now is a good time to take stock of your digital and financial life. We invite you to schedule a Big Decision Clarity Meeting, where we can talk through your situation and see what the best path forward looks like for you.
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Team Hewins, LLC (“Team Hewins”) is an SEC-registered investment adviser; however, such registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training, and no inference to the contrary should be made. We provide this information with the understanding that we are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or tax services. We recommend that all investors seek out the services of competent professionals in any of the aforementioned areas. Certain information provided herein is based on third-party sources, which information, although believed to be accurate, has not been independently verified by Team Hewins. Team Hewins assumes no liability for errors and omissions in the information contained herein.