The Memories Project

Digital estate planning has become an essential part of end of life considerations. In our tech-driven society, you may spend more time and have more information stored in digital form than you do physical form.

As a Gen X member, I’m one of the last generations to have a foothold in both worlds. For example, my diaries from junior high and high school were kept in physical journals, and photos from that time period were physical prints. As an adult I’ve fully embraced technology and have most of my writing and photos, along with my financial and household information, are stored digitally. I will need to select a person comfortable with both physical and digital documents to handle my estate.

There’s no official method when it comes to digital estate planning. 1Password offers a guide with helpful tips. Maintain a list of your digital accounts with access information, and store that information somewhere secure. If you prefer, you can grant access to your online password manager to your digital estate executor. Only the person you choose to manage your digital estate should have access to that information and understand your wishes as to what to do with your accounts, personal writings, etc. Be very clear about what to do with potentially sensitive information that could be hurtful to others if discovered after your death.

Digital estate planning action steps (from Perplexity AI):

• Take Inventory: List all your digital assets and account details.
• Decide Asset Fate: Determine what should happen to each digital asset.
• Appoint Executor: Choose a trusted digital executor.
• Create Digital Will: Document your wishes legally.
• Store Securely: Keep your digital estate plan in a safe and accessible place.
• Update Regularly: Review and update your plan periodically.
• Communicate: Inform your loved ones and executor about your plan.

Also something to consider are any messages, social posts, or works you would like shared after your death. Many social media services allow accounts to be converted to a memorial account. Dementia awareness advocate Wendy Mitchell wrote a final farewell blog post that she instructed her daughters to publish after her death.

Where digital estate planning can get tricky is when a person has dementia. If the person had no digital estate plan, it may be a challenge for family members to gain access to accounts, because login information may be stored haphazardly or be unintentionally discarded. Those who did create a digital estate plan may change details as their dementia progresses. My father was not digitally-minded at all, but I remember how I came across important account information mixed with junk mail stuffed in plastic shopping bags under the bed.

For those who need assistance, check out the resources offered by Memory Banc. Founder Kay Bransford, who also manages the Dealing with Dementia blog, was a caregiver for her parents who were diagnosed with two different forms of dementia, so she understands the challenges firsthand.

Every person with a digital presence should create a plan on how they wish for their digital information to be handled after their death. Communicate with those who will be handling your digital estate to make sure they are comfortable with the role and the responsibilities. If you find yourself designated as the executor for a digital estate, organize and process accounts by type and importance, and reach out to estate officials or the estate attorney if you have any questions.

For caregiver tips, check out my Caregiver Product Recommendations page, with a list of products that I used while caring for my parents.

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Illustration created by Perplexity AI.