In the world of today, it never hurts to be prepared. Life insurance, health insurance, fire insurance, these are all important things to have in making sure you are ready for what life throws at you. Also important is having a will, just in case the unthinkable may happen. Preparedness includes making sure that your family is cared for, even if you are not there to do so yourself. A will, however, only covers any physical assets that you may have. What about the digital goods that are so plentiful today? Digital estate planning in Fort Mill is essential for making sure that your preparedness extends into the online goods you own.
Where to Get Started
You, as a web-goer, have many different accounts for things. You have your email accounts through Google, Yahoo, Hotmail, or others; you may have a Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, or other social media account; you may have an account with Amazon, EBay, or another vender site. All of these may contain valuable digital assets that your family can use. To get started with digital estate planning, make a list of all of the online places you may have an account. Make sure to include anything where you pay a monthly subscription, as you’ll need to cancel this unless your family plans on continuing its use. This may include music services such as Spotify or Pandora, photo or video sharing sites like Flickr or YouTube, banking services, credit card or loan management sites, insurance, or even places where you pay online for utilities or rent. Also make sure to include any document storage sites like Dropbox or Google Docs. Along with these, include the passwords or other information needed to access them.
Be Smart About Where You Put It
Your digital estate planning fort mill contains quite a lot of sensitive information. If you are careless with this list, it could lead to someone stealing your identity or gaining access to bank accounts or other financially harmful possibilities. Whether you keep it in a safe, lockbox, or hidden somewhere in the house is up to you. There are also online alternatives that can be beneficial, though you’ll want to consult a digital estate planning specialist to get the best locations. Whatever you decide, make sure that it is secure.
Leave Instructions for Use
Just as with a will, you will need to leave behind some instructions as to where to find it. Legal specialists are very adept at and qualified for this kind of situation, so they are a good place to start. Part of these instructions should contain the name of someone who you will designate the “digital executor,” who will be in charge of carrying out these instructions. You should make sure that they are a trustworthy, digitally savvy person. Another part of the instructions should include directions as to any final messages you want posted onto social media, or any pictures you want printed from Flickr, or such things as that.
Even though these things are only digital, they can be just as important as any of your physical assets. Be smart, and consult with a specialist about your digital estate planning in Fort Mill today.
