Making a digital estate plan

Build your inventory

List important devices, cloud files, accounts, domains and digital business records. Start with the services your family would need to know about first.

Set preferences for each item

Would you like photographs preserved, a profile memorialised or an account closed? Check the provider's current legacy or deceased-account process. Naming a helper does not grant them automatic access.

Choose a trusted helper

Discuss the work with someone willing to assist. Ask a qualified adviser how their role should fit with your estate arrangements and local law.

Protect access information

Keep secrets in an appropriate secure password manager. Record where authorised recovery instructions are stored rather than adding passwords to planning notes or a public document. Tell the helper where the plan is and review it when accounts change.