Estate planning in the computer age

Technology is a major part of nearly everyone’s lives today. Many Massachusetts residents have accounts for a variety of different things, ranging from financial accounts to games or social media. For security reasons, most people use different usernames and passwords for each of these accounts, but that can make things difficult when it comes to estate planning.

In the 80s and 90s, many people began to keep records of their accounts and any passwords or passcodes needed to access them. Now, rather than keeping hard copies of this information, many people are choosing to use digital services to keep track of everything. A few ‘Death Apps’ and other similar services have been developed to help organize the information so that it is more easily accessible to executors and beneficiaries.

The account names and passwords that families look for after their loved ones pass away are not always limited to financial accounts. While these accounts are incredibly important, they only include a small portion of the information that many people have. Social media accounts are becoming more and more important to many people. These accounts often store personal information as well as information regarding the friends and families of the deceased.

Every year, the estate planning process changes a little bit more in order to keep up with the ever-evolving technology. Keeping a detailed list of accounts along with the usernames and passwords needed to access them can help many people to avoid problems in the future. Massachusetts residents who wish to learn more about their estate planning options could benefit from consulting with an attorney in their area.

Source:

forbes.com, “Want To Have An Organized Estate Plan? Track Your Passwords And Accounts“, Megan Gorman, April 27, 2018