How to Make a Digital Will: Today, planning for physical assets is not enough. Knowing that in the digital age, you need to plan for your digital assets as well, digital legacy must be taken into account, and it is important to do it at the appropriate time as it will prevent assets and accounts from falling into the wrong hands.
This instruction book will provide you with a step-by-step guide on How to Make a Digital Will that will be complete proof of the digital continuity of your legacy.
Importance of a Digital Will
Writing a digital will has become an indisputable need of the modern age. It allows you to provide an exact scenario of what has to be done with all of your online activities, from social media profiles to cryptocurrency wallets after you perish.
Firstly, it also ensures that your digital assets do not get into the hands of people who do not deserve them, but it also makes your loved ones carry out your digital wishes. This era in which a digital path is as important as a physical asset makes missing digital a cause of difficulty.
As long as some family members fail to get control over necessary accounts or are not aware of some of the digital opportunities, it might lead to financial losses, the disappearance of important files, or even the total loss of digital memories.
Moreover, a How to Make a Digital Will for your online persona gives explicit instructions on how to handle it and helps ensure that you will have peace of mind regarding the aspect of how you will be remembered by your loved ones.
By dealing with these activities at the preliminary stage of digital death, the digital folding of the world will be easier, and your digital assets will be distributed or handled by your demands, which may protect your online identity in the future.
How to Make a Digital Will– Inventory Your Digital Assets
Start with your digital will by making a list and organizing every digital asset you have. Your comprehensive list must include all your emails, social media accounts, and online banking with brokerage services, which would include photos, videos, and any documents on the cloud.
While you should not eliminate it, forget about free social networks or platforms where you pay, and some things fall under the category of money and sentimental.
While the collection of all the important information may seem like overkill, if any of the assets are lost in the process or after they are lost, this will help you restore them and access them easily.
This living document will be the foundation for making sure that all the stepping stones are laid down and that your digital agents have a direction to follow so that they are not missing anything.
This list describes the inventory of your digital belongings; it is a starting point for executing your will afterwards, and it allows your executors to perform their duty effectively and successfully in managing your digital legacy.
Decide on Your Digital Executors
The choice of your digital executor is a key step that ensures the development of digital will. Such people will become your agents, and they will be dealing with your assets both offline and online once you are unable to do that anymore.
Choosing individuals who hold a significant level of trust and, at the same time, are tech-savvy is vital. This is crucial because such experienced people will go a long way in dealing with digital platforms and accounts, which are generally too complex.
Communicate frequently with the people you have in mind, ensuring that they know what is involved in this particular role and that they are happy to accept the responsibilities that go with it.
Elaboration of the given information is that it should be done properly and precisely, which will allow all interested entities oversight of the How to Make a Digital Will which is part of the big picture.
Beyond just passive emotional support, nowadays we also turn to this kind of technology to get proactive communication, and this is key to having your digital legacy remembered exactly as you would want it.
Outline Your Digital Asset Instructions
The logical and rational act of gathering your digital assets as well as the list of your digital executors is just a part of the preparations which have to be made. Moreover, legally binding instructions concerning each digital asset are crucial elements of the process.
This step acts as the key one and guides your executors explicitly on handling your digital affairs. First of all, classify your assets in terms of their character and importance, and after that, just as you did for all the categories and individual assets, express your desires.
If you need to decide whether the defunct social media accounts need to be deleted or become memorial ones, state it clearly. Stipulate whether the listed digital assets that may have financial worth, such as cryptocurrency and online business accounts, should be liquidated or sent to specific beneficiaries.
In cases of personal digital content such as photos or writings, you need to state if this information should be saved and handed over to family or friends who might be interested.
For each command, be crystal clear and attempt not to use woolly language to look out for concerns about misunderstanding by executors and those who may emerge as beneficiaries.
In case you are special about the time duration, you could execute these instructions immediately after your passing, in a certain period, or in a case when specific conditions are met. It is important to make these intentions clear as well.
Moreover, have all the legal language, permissions, or authorizations that the executor may require to carry out the instructions according to the will consult with a lawyer if necessary to ensure that there are no mistakes and all the instructions are legal and executable.
Your detailed and kind wishes are the symbol of your wise wishes that your digital legacy is fully handled as a thorough process in your absence as it was when you were present.
Secure and Update Your Digital Will Regularly
The phase that involves the security of the digital property and routinely updating it is the final but constant phase in the audit of your How to Make a Digital Will.
If you opt to store your digital assets on encrypted storage solutions like digital lockers or secure cloud services, you need to ensure you give access privileges only to the designated digital executors.
Furthermore, it is required that you provide them with the location and the method used to access the storage.
Because life events and conditions are ever-changing, therefore, out and update your electronic will at least annually or in scenarios of significant life events—to mention, acquiring new digital assets or changes in relationships that could influence who you choose as your executors or beneficiaries.
This process of scheduled verifications guarantees that your digital will always be updated according to the individual’s current digital estate and wishes and will therefore remain effective and relevant.
Also read: How to Protect Your Metadata in the Digital Age
What is a digital will?
A digital will is a digital list of your online stuff that has affected its management.
This ensures that electronic documents and accounts, such as online, fall under the jurisdiction of your plan.
Are online wills legitimate?
Of course, online wills are the same as those prepared by a lawyer, with the exception that they must conform to the law of the state where they are held.
Nevertheless, it is important to ensure that the will is executed without fraud, duress, undue influence, and/or error of law.
How do I draw up a will online?
To set up your will online, choose a trusted online platform like Freewill. Then, go through the step-by-step instructions to get all the necessary details.
Once done, hit the print button, verify the e-signature, and find a location with easy access but privacy.
How do I create a digital estate plan?
Creating a digital estate plan involves inventorying your digital assets and nominating an executor, as well as deciding who will inherit them.
It is extremely important to ensure that your will is safe and legally documented.
