Why You Should Think About Your Digital Assets Before You Die

GoodTrust. Some password manager apps offer a digital beneficiary service, but Steiber says GoodTrust curates a list of digital assets instead of giving online account passwords to family members. He sees this as an advantage.

Free. Access to three websites, storage for three documents, a goodbye email and an unofficial social media will that outlines how your accounts will be handled.

Subscription. $149 for the first year, then $39 after that for will- or trust-based estate planning, unlimited updates, digital vault for online accounts, important documents and devices.

MyWishes. In addition to having founded the Digital Legacy Association, Norris runs MyWishes, a digital estate planning company whose services are available in the U.S.

“Planning for the certainty of death isn’t as scary as you might think, and technology can help make things easier,” Norris says. “Making plans in advance is an altruistic thing to do, and your friends and family members will appreciate the time that you dedicated to do this.”

Free. Create bucket lists, plan funeral arrangements, safeguard digital legacies, send farewell messages, write wills and even share plans with doctors or those involved in your health care.

Facebook will ‘memorialize’ an account for loved ones

With more than 3 billion monthly active users, Meta’s Facebook is the most popular social media platform among users 50 and older — more than Instagram; X, formerly Twitter; and TikTok. Over 38 percent of Facebook users are 45 and older, according to NapoleonCat, a Warsaw-based social media marketing platform.

With that kind of following, the social platform has found a way to honor deceased users.

When notified of a user’s passing, Facebook will memorialize the user’s account for family and friends to share memories, post funeral details and lock the account. Only Facebook friends or family members can request that a profile be memorialized.

Legacy contacts manage account, download memories

Facebook also lets you designate a legacy contact to look after your account when you’re gone. Legacy contacts can post information, update profile and cover photos, and request that the account be removed.

Apple’s Digital Legacy program also lets you choose someone to be a legacy contact. In this case, they’re granted permission after your death to get apps, device backups, files, messages, notes, photos or other data stored in iCloud. Keep in mind that other private information — such as books, movies, music or subscriptions purchased with an Apple ID, as well as passwords and payment information — isn’t available to legacy contacts.

Apple gives legacy contacts access to data only after a death is verified with legal documentation and an access key. Once approved, your legacy contact receives an Apple ID to access your account. The legacy contact has three years to download the information before it is permanently deleted.

To set up a legacy contact:

1. On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings ⚙️ | [your name] | Password & Security.

2. On a Mac, go to System Preferences | Apple ID | Sign-In & Security. Tap or click Legacy Contact and follow the instructions to add a person. If you use Apple’s Family Sharing feature, you can choose a family member from the list or add someone using their email or phone number.

Google’s Inactive Account Manager can notify someone if you haven’t logged into your account for a while and will share relevant account information to access Gmail, Google Drive, Google Photos and YouTube. The process is the same whether you’re on a PC, Mac, Chromebook, iPhone, iPad or Android phone or tablet.

1. Open a web browser and sign into your Google account.

2. Click Privacy & personalization. Under More options, click Make a plan for your digital legacy. You can also set your Google account as inactive after three, six, 12 or 18 months.

Google says it looks at several signals to identify whether you’re still using your account, such as your last sign-ins, your recent activity in My Activity, and Gmail and Android check-ins.

Personalized messages can be delivered after you die

Eternal Applications. This web hosting company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, launched an afterlife messaging platform for people to create personalized email, text or video messages for loved ones. The service allows users to convey their thoughts while they’re still sharp and record messages for other life events, such as anniversaries, birthdays and holidays.

Once Eternal Applications is notified of a user’s death, it sends the designated recipient a link to access the message, which they can download and save on their device.

Fees. Starting at $49.99 for one message with up to 10 recipients.

ForKeeps. This company offers the ability to deliver video, voice or written legacy messages upon a person’s death, at a later date or a future unknown date such as your child’s graduation or wedding. The messages can be delivered directly to the intended recipient or through a guardian that you designate.

Photo albums can be created not only as a legacy but also while an event is happening. The album can be shared with family and friends, and they can add their own photos.

Fees. Starting at $4.99 for one message with up to 10 recipients.

MyWishes offers a similar after-death messaging service for free.

Other fee-based services include Gone Not Gone, with email plans that start at $20; My Wonderful Life, starting at a $2.99-a-month subscription; and The Postage, starting at a $4.99-a-month subscription.

This story, originally published Dec. 29, 2021, has been updated with current pricing and new services.