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What Are "Digital Assets"?

What digital assets are, and why you need to make a plan for them.

By , Attorney
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By clicking "Find a Lawyer", you agree to the Martindale-Nolo Texting Terms. Martindale-Nolo and up to 5 participating attorneys may contact you on the number you provided for marketing purposes, discuss available services, etc. Messages may be sent using pre-recorded messages, auto-dialer or other automated technology. You are not required to provide consent as a condition of service. Attorneys have the option, but are not required, to send text messages to you. You will receive up to 2 messages per week from Martindale-Nolo. Frequency from attorney may vary. Message and data rates may apply. Your number will be held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

You should not send any sensitive or confidential information through this site. Any information sent through this site does not create an attorney-client relationship and may not be treated as privileged or confidential. The lawyer or law firm you are contacting is not required to, and may choose not to, accept you as a client. The Internet is not necessarily secure and emails sent through this site could be intercepted or read by third parties.

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

  • Gmail
  • Yahoo
  • Hotmail

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

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      Get Professional Help
      Talk to an Estate Planning attorney.
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      Phone Number is required
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      By clicking "Find a Lawyer", you agree to the Martindale-Nolo Texting Terms. Martindale-Nolo and up to 5 participating attorneys may contact you on the number you provided for marketing purposes, discuss available services, etc. Messages may be sent using pre-recorded messages, auto-dialer or other automated technology. You are not required to provide consent as a condition of service. Attorneys have the option, but are not required, to send text messages to you. You will receive up to 2 messages per week from Martindale-Nolo. Frequency from attorney may vary. Message and data rates may apply. Your number will be held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

      You should not send any sensitive or confidential information through this site. Any information sent through this site does not create an attorney-client relationship and may not be treated as privileged or confidential. The lawyer or law firm you are contacting is not required to, and may choose not to, accept you as a client. The Internet is not necessarily secure and emails sent through this site could be intercepted or read by third parties.

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