THE DIGITAL WILL CHECKLIST

As with all things concerning death, the better prepared you are, the easier it will be for those left behind.

When it comes to your computer equipment, for instance, making sure that someone else in your family has as an admin-level account on your computer could save a lot of angst when grieving families attempt to retrieve data such as family photos or vital documents when you’re gone ( see the boxout overleaf on what to do if you’re locked out of a dead relative’s computer).

James Norris from the Digital Legacy Association agrees that it’s better to plan in advance, particularly in cases where people are diagnosed with a terminal illness and may have some time to think about what they want to happen with their digital goods. “Let’s say, for example, you’ve got photos of a young child and you were diagnosed with a terminal illness,” he said. “By downloading a copy of all of your information and your data, you can pass on those photos knowing that you’ve got a hard copy of those assets.”

When it comes to preparing your digital will, here’s a list – by no means exhaustive – of the things that may contain personal or monetary assets. Ensure that your family is aware of accounts and what you want done with them. It’s generally not a good idea (for security reasons) to share passwords, but usernames can help identify account holders when they’re gone.

Computers Smartphones/tablets External disks/ storage devices

Social media accounts (such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter)

Online storage accounts (such as Dropbox and OneDrive)

Music/streaming music accounts (such as Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Music)

Photo-sharing accounts (such as Flickr and 500px)

Video-sharing accounts (such as YouTube and Vimeo)

Games/streaming games services (such as Steam and Google Stadia)

Online gambling accounts (such as

Bet365, Betfair and

Foxy Bingo)

Online share dealing accounts (such as Hargreaves Lansdown and IG.com)

Online payment services (such as PayPal and Stripe)

Cryptocurrency accounts (such as

Bitcoin wallets)

Blogging/website platforms (such as WordPress and Medium)

Online accountancy packages (such as Xero, Sage and QuickBooks)

Smart device services (such as Ring)

Air miles/travel loyalty points (such as airlines and Expedia)

Genealogy services (such as Ancestry)