There is a digital side to estate planning that should be taken into consideration when you are making preparations for the future.
First and perhaps foremost there are financial transactions that are routinely done online. You may handle your banking online, buy and trade securities over the Internet, and pay your bills via creditors’ secure portals. Giving your executor or trustee access to your accounts is something to remember when you are leaving behind final instructions.
Any web presence that you may have should be accounted for as well. A lot of people make money on the Internet through their websites, and this is often done by participating in affiliate programs in partnership with companies like Amazon.
If your site is a business address that exists in a virtual neighborhood you have to make arrangements for the disposition of your online assets when you are planning your estate.
Sellers on eBay must take this to heart as well. And of course some people have websites that are not intended for profit but they exist all the same. You have to let your representative know how you would like your websites handled after you pass away.
Social network identities are another thing to take into consideration. Should you choose to do so you can have your Facebook page memorialized. It will still exist after you are gone but only your friends and family members will be able to access the page and leave posts.
To be comprehensively prepared you must consider all the finer details. When you are making a checklist, don’t forget to leave behind instructions regarding your identities in cyberspace.
Larry Parman
Author, President and Founding Attorney
Parman & Easterday
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