Category: Digital Assets
A bill in the General Assembly would treat individuals’ Facebook, Twitter, email and other online accounts the same as physical assets after death. By default, the law does not treat digital assets the same way that it treats physical assets. After a person passes away, physical assets become part of the estate. Executors and loved […]
If you die unexpectedly, should your “digital assets” like text messages, e-mail and photos die with you? One cold night in December 2013, Jake Anderson left a party near the University of Minnesota campus and was inexplicably later found frozen to death in his car. The medical examiner ruled the death accidental, so there is […]
Search for the late actor and comedian Robin Williams on Facebook and you’ll quickly come to an invitation to “connect” to him. That could be difficult, to say the least. The much-beloved Academy Award winner departed this earthly realm four months ago. His page is now set up to receive tributes from his considerable fan […]
In a recent blog post, Yahoo’s Senior Legal Director for Public Policy criticized the UFADAA for the “faulty presumption that the decedent would have wanted the trustee to have access to his or her communications” and for “set[ting] the privacy default at zero.” What happens to your digital assets when you pass away? Will your heirs gain […]
While most people realize that estate plans should be created to help distribute physical property such as real estate or jewelry, there is a growing need to consider intangible property. The Internet is increasingly becoming the main storage of our financial lives. A recent survey from Pew Research revealed that 51% of American adults bank online, and […]
The bill has been in the works for more than three years and has backing from the Delaware Bar Association. If approved, it would be the first comprehensive law of its kind. Seven other states grant different levels of access. Accessing a decedent’s email or other online accounts after his or her death can be […]
Without a plan in place, you risk burying your family in red tape as they try to get access to and deal with your online accounts that may have sentimental, practical or monetary value. Just when you think you’ve covered all your bases when planning for your estate, the issue of your digital accounts comes […]
Even people who think they’ve ticked off all of the usual boxes on their estate-planning to-do lists may have overlooked an increasingly important component of the process: ensuring the proper management and orderly transfer of their digital assets after they die or become disabled. Beyond the tangible assets in your life that you feel should […]
