When you consider estate planning, you may think about writing a will to describe how you want your belongings distributed among your survivors when you pass away. However, you may also want to think about making a digital estate plan. While Florida, like most other states, has specific guidelines for traditional wills, there is not as much guidance for digital estate planning. This relatively new concept is not yet well-defined, but there are some basic steps that may help you start the process.
FindLaw states that digital assets include more than just your email accounts and smartphone pictures. If you have a blog or website, a library of digital music and videos or an e-commerce store, all of these things count as digital assets. It is essential to figure out how you want your survivors to access and manage these things after you die.
When you start creating your digital estate plan, you may first want to decide on a person to be your executor. Picking someone you trust is essential, as this person will likely see your private data and have the opportunity to preserve your online persona and legacy. It may also help to choose someone who is technologically savvy, as going through all your accounts and files may be a time-consuming and complex task.
When you create your digital estate plan, think about what you want your executor to do with all your files and data. You may ask him or her to delete your social media profiles or convert them to static memorial pages. Perhaps you want your executor to erase your search history or even your hard drive. Along with detailed instructions, your plan should also include the usernames and passwords your executor will need to carry out your wishes.
This information about digital estate planning is intended for educational purposes and should not be interpreted as legal advice.
