People spend a huge part of their lives online in the modern world, and this creates some new complications when they die that did not previously exist even just a decade or so in the past.
Here are some of the things you may need to consider while estate planning in Wisconsin when it comes to your digital accounts:
- You need to consider if you want your Facebook profile to be visible forever, or whether you would like it taken down when you are gone. Most social media providers have an option for you to give someone control of your account when you die. If not used, your family may need to get these permissions via a court order.
- You may have thousands of photos stored in the cloud. If you want to give your family access to these, again it is easier to arrange while you are alive rather than make your family go to court to access them.
- Emails are another thing to consider. Those on a work account usually belong to your employer, rather than you, but consider if you want your personal email account closed when you die or if you are happy to let someone see old emails.
- You probably control many of your transactions and financial assets online. Perhaps you even have cryptocurrency. If you do not make arrangements while you are alive, it will be harder for your family to cancel your Netflix account or access online funds.
The Wisconsin Digital Property Act was introduced in 2016 to make it easier for your family to gain access to your digital assets when you die. It allows you to name a representative who will receive access. Seek legal help to understand how to add your digital assets to your estate plan.
