You may know the importance of having an estate plan in place, but have you considered how you’ll make sure that your loved ones are able to find all of your documents once you pass away? There have been cases where someone has died and left behind a will or plan, but family members struggled to find the documents.
The great news today is that the invention of the internet and use of cloud technology makes it easier than ever to store all of your documents in one place safely and securely. A digital estate plan isn’t required, but it is certainly a simpler way to keep a backup of all your important estate planning documents in one place.
Digital estate plans also have a second benefit, which is key storage. You may be able to leave the keys and passwords for all of your digital assets in this estate plan on the cloud, which will make it much easier for your loved ones to access those files, social media accounts or digital wallets after you pass away.
What should you know about storing your estate plan documents online?
If you think that having backup information stores all in one place is a good idea, then you should talk to your attorney about using a qualified service for this. You will want to include everything in a secure place online or even offline on a digital device, such as a thumb drive or SD card.
Should you replace physical copies of your estate plan with digital copies?
For some documents, it may be possible to do this, but it is better to think of your digital estate plan as a backup plan with copies of your most important documents all in one place online. You should still maintain physical paper copies. In storage with your digital plan, you can add additional information, too, such as documents discussing where to find certain physical items or even videos that let people know your intentions.
Using digital technology is a good way to keep your estate plan organized and to help you be sure that your family members will get everything they need in one easy-to-find place.