
Storing Passwords in Case of Death
Deborah Placet had no idea how to access her husband’s cryptocurrency and other digital accounts after his unexpected death at age 52.

Deborah Placet had no idea how to access her husband’s cryptocurrency and other digital accounts after his unexpected death at age 52.

Both help you pass down assets, while avoiding the time and expense of probate. However, one has much more flexibility than the other.

Even those who have saved and invested well may not be sharing their financial information with a spouse or loved one. It’s time to do that now.

However, in a world where more and more of our personal information is stored online, it’s also imperative to make a digital estate plan, so your loved ones can access your digital property.

At such an emotional time, more paperwork is probably the last thing you want on your to-do list. However, taking a few key steps is critical to your financial future.

If you’re merely dipping your toe in cryptocurrency, it can be hard to imagine your crypto as something worth talking to an estate attorney about. But that $100 in fun money could grow to a significant percentage of your total investments, sometimes overnight.

That last will and testament you have tucked away? It may not be the last word on what happens to your stuff after you are gone. Instead, that legal document’s directives for doling out your wealth may be overruled by other paperwork and relevant laws.

Major changes in your life—such as marriage, having a baby, moving out of state, or divorce—should prompt a revisit to your current will. It is important to revise your will at these times, in order to ensure that your estate planning is up to date.

Discussing estate planning with your parents is a conversation that can be difficult to have. You might not want to think about the day they are no longer here, or even consider that they might experience a decline in health that severely limits their ability to think clearly or communicate with you.

No one relishes the thought of the day they pass away and leave all their worldly possessions behind. However, it’s a certainty that no one can avoid. Thankfully, you have options for planning for what happens to your estate, including a will or a family trust.