RESEARCH
3 min read
Most people spend years planning their physical estate — creating wills, designating beneficiaries, organizing financial accounts. But the average person today owns more than 100 digital accounts, stores thousands of photos in the cloud, and maintains a financial and social presence across dozens of platforms.
None of that is addressed by a traditional will. This guide will walk you through everything you need to know to create a complete digital estate plan.
A digital estate includes every digital asset you own or control. This includes:
The first step in digital estate planning is knowing what you have. Create a comprehensive inventory of your digital accounts, including usernames, the platform, and notes on the content or value of each account.
Important: Do not store passwords in unsecured documents. Use a trusted password manager and ensure your designated executor knows how to access it.
Each major platform has its own policies for handling deceased users’ accounts. Facebook allows for memorialization or removal. Google has an Inactive Account Manager. Apple and Twitter have more restrictive policies. Understanding these policies in advance helps you plan appropriately.
A digital executor is the person responsible for managing your digital estate after your death. This may or may not be the same person as your traditional estate executor. Choose someone who is technically capable, trustworthy, and understands your wishes regarding your digital presence.
For each digital asset, define what should happen after your death:
Managing a digital estate manually — through notes, documents, and instructions left in a will — is prone to gaps, outdated information, and executor confusion. A dedicated digital legacy platform provides structured, secure, and executable directives that can be acted on with confidence.
Your digital estate changes constantly. New accounts are created. Old ones are abandoned. Your wishes may evolve. Review and update your digital estate plan at least once a year — and after any major life event.
Ready to take the first step? Codex Vitae provides a secure, structured platform for building and maintaining your complete digital estate plan.
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Codex Vitae makes it possible to plan your digital legacy with the same care and foresight you bring to your physical estate.
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