Most of the problems families run into after a death are avoidable. A few settings switched on today, a list of accounts and one clear letter make the difference between a few emails and months of forms, court orders and lost photos.
Start with the checklist if you want the short version. The other guides go deeper into each step.
- What is a digital estate (and why it matters)Your digital estate is the accounts, files, photos and online money you leave behind. What it covers, and why it needs a plan.
- Digital estate planning checklistA step-by-step checklist for planning your digital estate: inventory, legacy settings, password access, 2FA backups, will and letter.
- How to make a digital asset inventoryHow to list your accounts, devices and online money so your executor can find them, without writing passwords into the list.
- Password managers for inheritance: how emergency access worksHow password manager emergency access works, and which managers offer it: Bitwarden, Proton Pass, NordPass, Keeper, LastPass, 1Password and more.
- 2FA and inheritance: what happens to your phone codesTwo-factor codes can lock your family out even with your password. How to back up recovery codes, authenticator apps, phone numbers and keys.
- Where to keep the master passwordSealed envelope, solicitor, safe deposit box, split knowledge, emergency access or a home safe: the options for leaving a master password.
- Letter of instruction for digital assetsWhat to put in a letter of instruction for your digital assets, what to leave out, and how it sits alongside your will.
- Naming a digital executorWhat a digital executor is, what legal standing the role has in the UK, the US and the EU, and how to choose and brief one.