Candoo Learning: Digital Legacy Planning

What happens to your online data when you’re no longer around? This is a question that we will eventually need to consider. Planning our Will and Estate is no longer limited to material items and belongings. We must also have a plan for the digital data that we may have stored in online accounts, cloud drives, smart devices, and our Computers.

This guide will help provide answers to these key questions: 

• What is Digital Legacy Planning?
• Why is Digital Legacy Planning important?
• What are available tools to help with the process?
  

 

What is Digital Legacy Planning?

This is defined as the process of organizing and preparing for what happens to your documents, data, online accounts, & online presence after your passing. It involves documenting your online accounts, passwords, and instructions for how you want your digital presence to be managed and shared with your loved ones or designated beneficiaries.

Why is Digital Legacy Planning important?

Some main reasons why it is important include:

• Having a plan reduces the stress of loved ones.
• Honoring your wishes for your digital and online identity.
• Preserving your digital assets and memories such are: photos, videos, and creative works.
• For Security, Privacy, and Identity Theft Prevention. Digital Legacy Planning helps ensure that your accounts are properly closed or secured to prevent unauthorized access.
  

 

What are Available tools to help with the process?

Apple Devices- iPhone, iPad, & Mac Computers

Apple devices have a settings feature that allows you to assign a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID. This is the easiest & most secure way to give someone you trust access to the data stored in your Apple account after you pass away. This includes photos, messages, notes, files, apps you've downloaded, device backups, and more.

The Legacy Contact can be anyone you choose & you can designate more than one person.

Here are the steps on how to complete it on an iPhone- the steps will be very similar on an iPad and on a Mac computer:

Step 1 

Open up Settings and tap on your name located under the search bar at the top of the screen. On the next screen, tap on Passwords & Security.

Step 2

Scroll down the screen and tap on Legacy Contact. Then you will tap on Add Legacy Contact.

Step 3

On the next screen, you see details about assigning a Legacy Contact. Tap on Add Legacy Contact to proceed. Next, you will choose how to share your Access Key (either by sending a Message or printing out a copy). 

The person(s) that you assign as a legacy contact will need a copy of your death certificate and your Access key in order to access your account. Here is an example of sharing the Access Key via Message: 

 

Android Devices

The Android equivalent of an Apple ID is… a Google Account.
It's used to access various Google services and the Google Play Store on Android devices. Part of having a Google account is the Inactive Account Manager.

This is a free tool that:

• allows you to specify what should happen to your Google account and associated data in the event of prolonged inactivity or after your passing.
• It can also be a valuable tool for digital legacy planning, especially if you use Google services like Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube.

Here is how to set up Google's Inactive Account Manager: 

Step 1 

When on the Google.com home page, tap on the circle in the top right corner and select Manage your Google Account. If you do not see this option, you will need to log in first. 

Step 2

Select Data & Privacy on the left-hand side then scroll down and tap on "Make a plan for your digital legacy". 

Step 3

You will then be guided on each step of setting up the Inactive Account Manager.

These steps include:

• Selecting the time period of inactivity in which Google should consider your account inactive
• Choosing who to notify and what to share
• Deciding whether or not your inactive Google account should be deleted. 

 

Additional Tools

There are other online tools available to help plan your Digital Legacy.

Here are a few of the different types.

• Will and Trust Creation online
  • Trust & Will
  • Quicken WillMaker & Trust
  • Do Your Own Will (free)
• Digital Legacy Management tools to securely store important information for your loved ones
  • Everplans
  • DGLegacy
• Password managers securely store login credentials, which can be shared with trusted individuals in the event of your passing.
  • 1Password
  • Bitwarden

Final Note

This guide is intended to be informative in nature and is not endorsed in any way by any of the companies that are mentioned.

We recommend consulting legal and financial professionals for specific advice tailored to your situation. Estate planning involves complex legal and financial considerations, and professional guidance can ensure that your wishes are accurately documented and legally binding.

Candoo is here to help you!

If you need help or have any questions, call us at

646-758-6606 or email [e-mail]