Task: Naming A Digital Executor

Enter the Digital Executor — the person you designate to help manage and settle your Digital Estate. It sounds a lot more official than it is, especially since it might not be legally binding in most states.

One way to go about it is to appoint this person in your Will or make it clear to your executor that they’re also responsible for your digital accounts and assets. All the instructions you leave behind should be in a separate place, whether it’s included in the description field of your password manager alongside the account, or in a document where you keep all your passwords. As you add new accounts, or rethink the importance of accounts you already have, updating it should become part of your regular password storage process.

Here’s something you shouldn’t do: Never include passwords or what you want done with your digital accounts in your Will. A Will becomes a public document and you don’t want this private information floating around for identity thieves to steal.

Last Words On Digital Estate Planning

The whole point of a Digital Estate Plan is to allow someone you trust to close down your accounts, repurpose devices, and transfer services without going completely crazy. There’s a reason why some of the most popular pages on this site involve closing digital accounts after someone dies (and we have instructions for over 200 of them). You don’t need to personally experience this sort of frustration and pain to spring into action. Take the time to get everything in order, name a person who’ll manage these accounts and services, and you’ll be lifting a huge virtual weight off whoever you leave behind.

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