When most people picture estate planning, they think of houses, bank accounts, and family heirlooms. But a growing share of what we own today doesn’t fit in a filing cabinet at all. Cryptocurrency wallets, online brokerage accounts, cloud photo libraries, email, social media profiles, and even monetized YouTube channels or Etsy shops are all part of a modern estate — and most traditional wills and trusts were never written with them in mind. For families across Quincy and the South Shore, digital estate planning has quickly become one of the most overlooked pieces of a complete plan.
If your estate plan hasn’t been updated in the last few years, there’s a good chance it says nothing at all about your digital life. Here’s what to know, and why working with an experienced estate planning attorney in Quincy, MA can help close that gap before it becomes a problem for the people you love.
What Counts as a “Digital Asset”?
Digital assets fall into a few broad categories, and most people are surprised by how many they actually have:
- Financial accounts: online banking and brokerage accounts, PayPal or Venmo balances, cryptocurrency and NFT holdings, and airline or credit card rewards points
- Business assets: domain names, e-commerce stores, monetized social media accounts, and digital intellectual property
- Personal accounts: email, social media profiles, cloud storage, streaming subscriptions, and photo or video libraries
- Access credentials: the passwords and two-factor authentication methods that control all of the above
Cryptocurrency deserves special mention. Unlike a bank account, a self-custody crypto wallet secured by a private key or seed phrase generally cannot be recovered by anyone — including a court — if that information is lost. Without a plan in place, digital wealth like this can simply become inaccessible forever.
Why a Traditional Will or Trust Often Isn’t Enough
Most wills and trusts were drafted around physical and financial property, and many online platforms have their own terms of service that restrict who can access an account after death — regardless of what a will says. Massachusetts, like most states, has adopted a version of the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, which gives a named executor or trustee a legal pathway to request access to digital accounts. But that framework only works if your estate planning documents actually authorize it, and if your executor knows what accounts exist in the first place.
This is where families run into trouble: a spouse or adult child left to settle an estate often can’t even locate every account, let alone gain access to it, without guidance.
Building a Digital Estate Plan: Where to Start
A thoughtful digital estate plan doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need a few deliberate pieces:
- Create a digital asset inventory. List the accounts, platforms, and devices that matter — you don’t need to include every password in this document, just what exists and roughly where it’s held.
- Use platform-level tools where available. Services like Google’s Inactive Account Manager, Apple’s Digital Legacy program, and Facebook’s Legacy Contact let you designate in advance who can access or manage an account after you’re gone.
- Add explicit digital asset language to your will or trust. Authorization language that names a digital executor and grants them clear authority helps avoid disputes with platforms later, and can be incorporated as part of broader trust administration planning.
- Keep access credentials separate from your will. Once filed with the court, a will becomes a public record — not the place for passwords or private keys. A password manager with an emergency access feature, or a secured letter of instruction kept with your attorney, is a safer approach.
- Choose a digital executor who’s comfortable with technology. This doesn’t have to be the same person managing your finances or medical decisions, but it should be someone who can competently navigate accounts, platforms, and security steps under time pressure.
Digital Assets Fit Into a Larger Plan
Digital estate planning isn’t a substitute for the fundamentals — it’s an addition to them. A complete Massachusetts estate plan still generally includes a will, appropriate trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, with digital assets folded into that same structure rather than treated separately. Families who have already gone through the probate process with a loved one’s estate often recognize firsthand how much smoother things go when an inventory and clear instructions already exist — digital or otherwise.
Every family’s situation is different, and the right approach depends on what you own, how it’s structured, and your goals for who receives what. This article is meant as general information, not legal advice, and isn’t a substitute for a conversation with a licensed Massachusetts attorney about your specific circumstances.
How Logan & Logan LLP Can Help
For over 30 years, Logan & Logan LLP has helped individuals and families throughout Quincy, the South Shore, and Greater Boston build estate plans that reflect how people actually live today. Whether you’re starting from scratch or updating a plan that hasn’t kept pace with your digital life, our experienced team can help you inventory what matters, put the right authorizations in place, and make sure your executor isn’t left guessing. We also welcome questions from clients throughout Milton, Weymouth, Braintree, Hingham, and the wider South Shore Massachusetts community who want a plan that covers both the tangible and the digital.
Don’t leave your online accounts, cryptocurrency, or digital memories out of your estate plan. Contact Logan & Logan LLP today at (617) 209-3723 or through our contact page to schedule a consultation and take the next step toward a complete, up-to-date estate plan.
