Digital Estate Planning
We spend time organizing important papers—wills, deeds, insurance policies—and storing them somewhere safe where loved ones can find them when needed. But what about everything we keep online?
Your photos in the cloud. Your email accounts. Subscriptions that charge your credit card each month. Online banking. That ancestry research you’ve been working on for years. These digital pieces of your life matter just as much as the papers in your filing cabinet, yet many of us haven’t thought about what happens to them when we’re gone.
The good news? Getting your digital life organized for the future doesn’t have to be complicated or morbid. Think of it as a gift to the people you love—one less thing for them to worry about during a difficult time.
Let’s walk through how to get started.
Why This Matters Now
Here’s a reality that catches many families off guard: without the right information, your loved ones may not be able to access your accounts, pay your bills online, retrieve precious photos, or even cancel subscriptions that keep charging month after month.
Banks, email providers, and social media companies have strict rules about account access. Even with a death certificate and legal documents, your family might face months of frustration trying to close accounts or access important information.
But when you take a few simple steps now, you make everything easier for the people who will need to handle these details later.
The Basic Framework: Your Digital Estate Plan
A digital estate plan doesn’t need to be fancy. At its core, it’s simply an organized record of your online life and clear instructions about what should happen to it. Here’s how to think about it:
Step 1: Make a List of What You Have Online
Start by creating a simple inventory. You don’t need to finish this in one sitting—add to it over time as you remember things.
What to include:
Email accounts (Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook, etc.)
Financial accounts (banks, credit cards, investment accounts, PayPal)
Social media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn)
Shopping accounts (Amazon, eBay, online retailers)
Subscriptions (streaming services, newspapers, cloud storage)
Photo and file storage (iCloud, Google Photos, Dropbox)
Utilities and services you manage online
Any websites, blogs, or domain names you own
For each account, write down:
What it is (e.g., “Chase checking account”)
The website or app name
The email address you use to log in
Where to find the password (more on this below)
Step 2: Decide What Should Happen
For each account, think about what you’d want done with it:
Close it: Most financial accounts, subscriptions, and shopping accounts should simply be closed.
Memorialize it: Facebook and some other platforms offer memorial options where the account stays up but can’t be logged into. Some people like this option so friends can still see photos and memories.
Transfer it: Some accounts might contain valuable work, research, or creative projects you’d want passed on to someone specific.
Download first, then close: Photos, emails, and documents might need to be saved before the account is closed.
You don’t need to make these decisions all at once. Starting with “I should probably close this” is perfectly fine for most accounts.
Step 3: Organize Your Passwords
This is often the trickiest part, but there are good solutions.
Password Manager (Recommended): If you use a password manager like 1Password, LastPass, or Bitwarden, you can designate someone as your emergency contact who can access your passwords when needed. This is the cleanest, most secure option.
Written Master List: Keep a physical document (in a safe, safe deposit box, or with your will) that lists your most important accounts and passwords. Update it when major passwords change.
Digital Document: Some people keep an encrypted document on their computer with this information. If you choose this route, make sure someone you trust knows how to access it and has the decryption password.
Whatever method you choose, include one critical piece of information: your phone or computer passcode. Without it, your loved ones may not be able to access anything else.
Step 4: Assign a Digital Executor
Just like you might name someone to handle your financial estate, choose someone to handle your digital estate. This should be someone who:
You trust completely
Is reasonably comfortable with technology (or willing to get help)
Knows where to find your digital estate plan
Let them know about this responsibility while you’re still here. Walk them through where everything is and what your wishes are. This conversation might feel awkward, but it will mean the world to them later.
Step 5: Store Everything Securely
Your digital estate plan needs to be:
Secure: Not just lying around where anyone could find it
Accessible: Your designated person needs to be able to get to it when the time comes
Up to date: Review and update it at least once a year
Good options include:
A fireproof safe at home (make sure your executor knows the combination)
A safe deposit box (with your executor listed as authorized)
With your attorney or in your estate planning documents
In a secure password manager with emergency access set up
Step 6: Don’t Forget Your Devices
Your digital estate includes the physical devices too:
Computers and tablets
Phones
External hard drives
USB drives
Make sure someone knows:
Your device passcodes
Whether you want data wiped or preserved
If there are specific files or folders to save
Start Small, Build Gradually
Here’s the truth: you don’t need to complete all of this today, this week, or even this month. Start with one small step.
Maybe that’s simply writing down your three most important account passwords and putting them in an envelope with your will. Maybe it’s having a conversation with your adult child about who should handle this when the time comes. Maybe it’s finally setting up that password manager you’ve been thinking about.
Every little bit helps. Every piece of information you organize now is one less mystery for your loved ones to solve later.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
If this feels overwhelming, that’s completely normal. Many people find it easier to work through this with someone who can help organize information and explain options without judgment.
At Main Street Tech, we help people create simple, manageable digital estate plans all the time. We can sit with you, go through your accounts together, help you get organized, and make sure everything is documented in a way that makes sense to you and the people who’ll need it someday.
The goal isn’t perfection. The goal is peace of mind—for you now, and for your loved ones later.
Getting Started Today
If you’re ready to begin, here’s your simple starter checklist:
Open a document or grab a notebook
Write down your five most important online accounts
Note where the passwords are (or resolve to put them in one secure place)
Think about one person you trust to handle this
Put this document somewhere safe
Schedule a time next month to add five more accounts to the list
That’s it. You’ve started.
Your digital life represents years of memories, connections, and practical necessities. Taking time to organize it isn’t about dwelling on mortality—it’s about taking care of the people you love and making sure the digital legacy you’ve built is handled the way you want.
And like most things in life, it’s much easier when you don’t try to do it all at once.
*Need help getting your digital estate in order? Main Street Tech offers personalized guidance to help you organize accounts, secure passwords, and create a clear plan your loved ones can follow. We meet you where you are and work at your pace—no technical jargon, no judgment, just patient support.