Why Should I have a Digital Will?

 In Last Will and Testament, Law

You have heard of a traditional will and last testament, but there are things like digital wills too. When preparing your property for when you pass, creating a digital will is essential. So what is the purpose of a digital will? 

DIGITAL WILL

A digital will is a legal document that accounts for your online assets, presence, and more. A large portion of our lives is lived online now. We have social media accounts, personal and professional websites, online banking, email accounts, and logins to various online accounts. When you pass away, all those things must be handled like any other asset in your traditional will. This is why a digital will is so important. It is a document dedicated to sorting out your online presence in the manner you want.

CREATING A DIGITAL WILL

Your digital will should be included in your traditional will because it will be easier for the executor to know what to do. Here are the steps to follow when creating a digital will.

INVENTORY

The first thing you need to do is create an inventory of your online presence. It’s essential to compile a concise list of all your assets online:

  • Social media accounts
  • Email accounts
  • Personal and professional websites
  • Online banking
  • Online shopping like Amazon, eBay, etc
  • Music libraries
  • All logins to any online platforms
  • Blogs
  • Subscriptions that withdraw money from your bank account
  •  Brokerage accounts
  • Automatic payments

INSTRUCTIONS

Once you have compiled a list of your online accounts, you need to decide what you want to do with them. For example, if you want all your social media accounts to be deleted, this needs to be disclosed in your digital will. Many online platforms allow you to turn them into memorials, so you must decide if you’re interested in doing that.

SELECT EXECUTOR

It would be best if you decided on an executor for both your digital and traditional will. This will be the person who carries out all the instructions you ask for. They will ensure all your assets are cared for as you desire. Again, this is why it is so important to leave detailed instructions and choose someone you trust to execute them. You will need to include the name of your executor in your will.

Once you have successfully created your digital will, you should include it in your traditional will. This way, all of your assets are organized and properly executed. If you want to learn more about digital wills, check out The Slaughter Law Firm.

At Slaughter Law, our attorney has over 21 years of experience in areas like wills, criminal law, workers’ compensation, domestic matters, and more. One of the best ways to ensure your will is done correctly is to run it by a lawyer. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, visit us online or call us at (423) 844-0560 today!