If you are like many people in Washington State who have created a will or a trust several years ago, you might have focused on traditional elements like who will inherit your home and who will be the executor of your estate or the trustee of your trust. Depending on how long ago you created your estate plan, you may not have given much, if any, thought to online logins and accounts. Now is the time to review and include these elements in your plan.
Regardless of the type of asset or debt, most people have some sort of online account to manage and track these things today. Even utility companies often promote the use of online payment and billing systems and certainly checking and savings accounts are commonly accessed via the web or mobile banking apps. Your family members will have a tough time managing these things without knowing your login credentials.
Forbes recommends that documenting all online account details should be considered part and parcel of any estate planning activity today. This should include the web address, the user name and the password. You should also document the answers to any challenge questions that might be used to recover or further authenticate accounts. At least two copies of this information should be maintained and regularly updated.
This information is not intended to provide legal advice but is instead meant to give residents in Washington State an idea of how and why they should include information about their digital accounts in their estate planning.
