Estate Planning for Digital Assets

Every day we use smartphones, tablets, computers and other digital devices to access, transfer and store information, conduct financial transactions and operate many other aspects of our lives. Your digital assets include all of the digital devices you own, all data stored in them and on external servers, and all of your online user accounts. Ensuring the proper management and orderly transfer of these assets after incapacity or death is an increasingly important aspect of estate planning.

This article contains examples of service provider practices and a recommended approach for creating a personal digital asset plan. It is intended to produce both questions and a “to do” list.