When most people think about estate planning, they picture wills, trusts, and maybe how to pass down the family home. But in today’s world, your digital life is just as important to consider. From online bank accounts to cherished family photos stored in the cloud, our digital assets are a growing part of our legacy—and they deserve to be protected too.
Digital assets include anything you store online or on a device that holds value—financial, emotional, or otherwise. This can include:
If your estate plan doesn’t mention these, your loved ones could face delays, lost access, or even be locked out of important accounts altogether.
Without clear instructions, your family may struggle to access your digital property—or may not even know it exists. In some cases, companies like Facebook, Apple, or Google require court orders before allowing access, which can lead to significant time and expense.
By including digital assets in your estate plan, you can:
One of the easiest ways to protect your digital legacy is to designate a Legacy Contact on your smartphone. This allows a trusted person to access certain digital information, like photos, messages, and other important data, in the event of your death.
iPhone Users:
Apple allows you to set up a Legacy Contact directly in your iCloud settings. This person will be able to access your Apple ID account and data stored in iCloud after your death.
Click here for step-by-step instructions from Apple
Android Users:
While Android doesn’t currently offer a direct “Legacy Contact” feature like Apple, you can set up Google’s Inactive Account Manager, which lets you decide what happens to your Google Account (including Gmail, Photos, and more) if it becomes inactive.
Click here for instructions from Google
Taking just a few minutes to set this up now can save your loved ones a great deal of time, stress, and heartache later on.
The Ohio State Bar Association has an excellent resource that breaks down the importance of digital asset planning and how to include it in your estate plan.
Read the article here: Estate Planning and Digital Assets
At Ohio Heritage Law, we help individuals and families build comprehensive estate plans that reflect the realities of modern life—including your digital presence. If you’re ready to create or update your plan, we’d love to help you make sure nothing gets overlooked.
Contact us today to schedule a consultation and protect everything that matters—online and offline.
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