But when I die my relatives won’t be able to?

We’ve all heard over the last several years that the NSA is monitoring emails, phone calls, and how many coffees we buy at Starbucks. Ok, not the coffees at Starbucks (at least not that we know of). At any rate, governments, hackers, and businesses have access to more of our personal digital lives than we all probably like to think about. And yet, if a person close to you dies, it’s likely you will be cut off from their digital information if you don’t have the proper permissions.

So what are we to do if we don’t have a relative at the NSA or a personal friend who is a great hacker? How are we going to access mom’s photos on her photo storage site? If something happens to you, does your spouse have access to the online bank account so bills can be paid? And what about your social media accounts? Who will be able to log in and close them out or set up a memorial to you?

Fortunately, there are some simple things you can do, but they require some thought and organization. Here are the top three things I advise clients to do to prepare for digital access for relatives and loved ones.

1) Tell your loved ones your plans.

Do you want your social media pages closed? What about the website you set up about your favorite hobby? Plan what you want done with your digital assets and then tell the people who can carry out your wishes.

2) Make your plans formal.

Include your wishes in your will. States are gradually recognizing that digital assets often need to be managed in an estate and they are adding laws about this but each state has its own rules. Check with an attorney to see what you need to do. Give your executor the means to manage your assets or designate a digital executor for just this purpose.

3) Keep track of your passwords and make sure they are accessible to your loved ones when you aren’t around anymore.

I know everyone is smiling at this one. We all have our own systems for managing passwords. It may be

1. a) I use one password with 3 variations
2. b) Like 150 million other Americans, I use “password123”
3. c) I have all of my passwords on a few sticky notes near my computer
4. d) I use an online storage page for my passwords

Whatever it is, your heirs are probably not going to know what you do so please tell them how to access your passwords. You’ll be saving them countless hours of headaches with this one simple action.

Now go leave a nice digital legacy, but make sure the ones you care about can see it later and not just the NSA.

Kristin Rodriguez