A Holiday Reminder to Protect Your Online Assets (Featuring a Visit From Your “Digital Ghosts”)
Every year, the holidays give us something priceless: connection. Whether it’s gathered around a table, sharing old stories, or texting photos from one celebration to another, December reminds us what (and who) really matters. As we move through another season of capturing memories online, it’s a good time to think about digital legacy planning—what happens to all of this digital life when we’re gone?
Unlike the boxes of printed photos or the letters tucked away in a drawer, your online world doesn’t automatically pass into the hands of the people who love you. Without planning, it can linger on in unexpected, unhelpful, and sometimes heartbreaking ways.
And since this time of year is famous for one classic story about ghosts showing us the importance of choices… let’s borrow a page from A Christmas Carol.
Because whether we realize it or not, we each have our own Ghost of Digital Past, Digital Present, and Digital Yet to Come. Planning is what helps keep those “digital ghosts” from haunting our families when we no longer can speak for ourselves.
👻 The Ghost of Digital Past
Your Ghost of Digital Past captures everything from old email accounts to long-forgotten social media profiles to the photos that go back so far you have to squint to recognize the haircut choices.
These pieces of your story deserve to be handled with care — not left wandering cyberspace on their own, creating confusion for your loved ones.
Without a plan, your family may have no idea what accounts you have, how to access old memories, or how to close accounts that should be closed. Your digital past can live on without direction… unless you give someone the authority to handle it.
👻 The Ghost of Digital Present
Your Ghost of Digital Present represents everything you use daily:
- Your main email
- Phone and cloud storage
- Banking and investment accounts
- Payment apps
- Social media
- Subscription services
- Notes, lists, files — your mental toolbox
These are the accounts that cause real logistical hurdles if something unexpected happens.
Today’s digital world is designed to keep others out. This is great for privacy — until your spouse, children, or trusted helpers can’t access what they need to take care of your affairs. Without proper planning, your digital present becomes a locked room your family can’t enter.
👻 The Ghost of Digital Yet to Come
This one tends to surprise people.
Your Ghost of Digital Yet to Come isn’t about what exists now — it’s about what your loved ones will face if you don’t leave instructions.
It includes:
- Subscriptions that continue charging
- Financial accounts that go unclaimed
- Digital property that becomes inaccessible
- Photos and videos your family can’t retrieve
- Accounts that stay online long after you’re gone
- The emotional burden of trying to piece things together
Planning now allows your family to step confidently into the future you intend for them — not one they have to guess at.
So How Do We Keep Our “Digital Ghosts” From Wandering?
By creating a Digital Access Plan — a practical, caring way to give your loved ones control, clarity, and peace.
Step 1: Outline Your Digital World
Make a list of your essential accounts:
- Phone backup and cloud storage
- Social media
- Financial accounts
- Password manager
- Subscription services
Step 2: Use a Password Manager With Emergency Access
These tools allow you to store all your logins in one protected place and designate a trusted contact who can be granted access in an emergency.
Step 3: Choose a “Digital Executor”
This doesn’t have to be your trustee or executor — though it can be. Some people choose a tech-savvy child or trusted friend.
Step 4: Activate Built-In Legacy Tools
- Apple: Digital Legacy
- Google: Inactive Account Manager
- Facebook: Legacy Contact
- Instagram: Memorialization preferences
Step 5: Make Sure Your Legal Documents Empower Your Family
Here’s where most estate plans fall short.
Digital assets are often missing entirely, which means your fiduciaries (trustees, executors, or agents) may have zero legal authority to access your digital world.
At Bier Law, we plan for the real world — the one where your life exists online just as much as it does on paper.
Our estate planning documents incorporate California’s Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) so your chosen helpers can legally manage, access, or close accounts in accordance with your wishes. And starting January 1st, this will include managing these assets if you are incapacitated – a giant hole just filled by our legislature.
Not every law firm includes this. Many DIY plans don’t touch it at all. But to us, preparing your digital legacy is essential — because your family shouldn’t be haunted by uncertainty.
Why Digital Legacy Planning Matters More Than Ever
Estate planning is ultimately about care — making things easier for the people you love during a time when they need support the most.
Digital legacy planning ensures your loved ones can access, manage, and close your online accounts according to your wishes. Without a plan, even simple tasks like retrieving photos or shutting down accounts can become overwhelming.
Your digital memories, your online accounts, your creative projects, your financial tools… they deserve to be passed along with intention, not left as wandering “digital ghosts” your family has to chase.
By planning now, you ensure that your digital past, present, and future become a gift — not a burden.
Want Help Tying Up Loose Ends Before the New Year?
We’re here to make this easier.
A Personal Planning Session can help you protect your digital life, update your plan, and give your loved ones exactly what they’ll need someday.
Click here to watch our webinar on the basics of estate planning and earn your complimentary personal planning session.
