We're hearing a lot about digital assets these days because it's become apparent that while most of us are steeping in the burdens and rewards of digital life, we haven't really thought through what will happen to all of those accounts, profiles, and files when we die.
What Exactly Does "Digital Assets" Include?
Technically speaking, digital assets are any "electronic record" that you own, license, or control. This includes just about any online account or digital file that you have authority to access—email, online banking, social media accounts, cloud storage, blogs, and just about anything else that you do online, on your phone, or on your computer that requires a login.
How Can You Plan Ahead for Your Digital Assets?
Go to Nolo's series on Digital Assets to learn about what happens to your digital assets when you die, as well as how you can plan ahead to ensure that the people you want to have access to your digital assets will have it. In this series of articles, we discuss why it might be a good idea to leave a letter providing guidance to your loved ones about what to do with your digital assets when you die. If it's available for a particular account, you may also want to name a trusted person as a legacy contact.
What Digital Assets Do You Have?
To get you thinking about what kind of instructions you might want to leave, here is a non-exhaustive list of digital assets that you might have.
Scan through this list and ask yourself: "Which of these digital assets do I have?" and "What should happen to this stuff when I die?"
Email Accounts
Social Media Accounts
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Instagram
- Snapchat
- Pinterest
Photos
- On your phone
- On your computer
- On a hard drive or flash drive
- In the cloud (for example, on Google Photos)
- Online
File Sharing & Storage
- Dropbox
- In the cloud (for example, on Google Docs or Google Drive)
Books, Music, and Videos—Storage or Streaming
- iTunes
- Spotify
- Rhapsody
- Pandora
- Google Play
- Vevo
- Vimeo
- Netflix
- YouTube
- Audible
- Amazon
Financial Accounts
- Savings
- Checking
- Bill pay
- Loan or line of credit
- Credit card
- 401k
- FSA
- Trading
- Budget
- Credit monitoring
Subscriptions
- Professional journals
- Legal forms
- X "of the Month" clubs
- Amazon Prime
Gaming Accounts
- XBox
- Playstation
- Minecraft
Online Dating Accounts
- Match
- eHarmony
- OKCupid
- Tinder
- Grinder
Medical Accounts
- Doctor's portals
- Pharmacy stores
Insurance Accounts
- Car insurance
- Home insurance
- Life insurance
- Health insurance
Blogs & Websites
- Blog building sites
- Domain name registrars
- Third-party hosts
Online Accounts for Utilities
- Cell phone accounts
- Gas and electric
- Internet service
- Alarm companies
Information, Files, or Programs Stored on Your Phone, Tablet, or Computer
- Contact lists
- Professional software
- Financial software
- Legal documents software
- Tax software
- Music
- Photos
- Movies
- Documents
Loyalty Program Benefits
- Credit card "cash back" programs
- Frequent flyer miles