Digital Estate Planning: What Happens to Your iCloud, TikTok, Crypto, and Passwords When You Die?

Fifty years ago, estate planning meant dealing with a house, a bank account, maybe a life insurance policy, and a handful of family heirlooms. Today, most of a person’s life exists online. Your photos live in iCloud, your messages live in apps, your money might live in crypto, and your entire personality might live on social media.

Yet most people have never asked the question: What happens to all of this when I die?

Digital estate planning is the new frontier that families are struggling with every day. At Murray Law Firm, we see it all the time.

A family can settle the house and the bank accounts, but no one knows the password to Dad’s Coinbase account. Aunt Susie’s successful food blog and brand email are completely inaccessible because no one has her login information. The Instagram account with ten years of family memories is locked. Or the phone with all the photos requires a passcode that no one has.

Your digital life is real property. And it needs a plan.

Why Digital Assets Matter More Than People Realize

Most people underestimate how much they own online. Digital assets include:

• iCloud photos and backups

• TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube accounts

• Email accounts

• Password managers

• Online banking and investment accounts

• Crypto wallets

• Venmo, PayPal, Cash App balances

• Business accounts and websites

• Subscriptions and digital intellectual property

These assets may have emotional, financial, or legal value, or entail legal obligations. When a person dies, companies do not simply hand over access. Privacy laws block it. Passwords die with you. And without planning, your entire digital footprint becomes legally frozen.

The Most Common Digital Problems Families Face

1. Locked iPhones and iCloud Accounts

If no one has your passcode, Apple will not unlock your devices. Families lose thousands of photos every year because the owner never shared access.

2. Crypto That Vanishes

Crypto cannot be retrieved without your private keys. If no one knows where your seed phrase is stored, your entire investment can disappear permanently.

3. Social Media Limbo

Some families want to memorialize a loved one’s account. Others want it taken down. Without proper authorization, both can be impossible.

4. Unknown Subscriptions and Accounts

Families are often surprised by recurring charges, digital business accounts, or important documents stored in cloud drives that they cannot access.

5. When Your Entire Career Lives Online

For creators, influencers, and digital entrepreneurs, social media is not just a hobby. It can be a whole career with real income, brand contracts, stored drafts, ad revenue, and even equity or stake in a platform. If no one can access those accounts after you pass, the business shuts down instantly. Unfinished partnerships go unpaid. All revenue might be lost. And years of work vanish behind a password no one knows.

Digital assets create real legal and financial consequences. The challenge is that most people do not organize them.

How To Protect Your Digital Life Before It Is Too Late

A digital estate plan does not have to be complicated. It just has to be intentional. Most issues come from missing instructions, not missing technology. These steps create clarity for both your loved ones and your future Personal Representative.

1. Create a Centralized Inventory of Your Digital Assets

Make a simple list of every major account you own. Note where the login information is stored and who should have access in an emergency. It does not need passwords, just directions.

2. Use Built-In Legacy Tools

Apple’s Legacy Contact and Google’s Inactive Account Manager allow you to designate someone to access your accounts legally. Turning these on takes minutes and prevents major headaches later.

3. Secure Your Crypto Keys and Financial Logins

Document where seed phrases, hardware wallets, and two-factor authentication tools are stored. Without this, the assets are gone forever, regardless of their value.

4. Add Digital Authorization Language to Your Estate Plan

Your will or trust should explicitly grant your Personal Representative or Trustee the legal authority to manage and access your digital property. Without written permission, companies can refuse access.

5. Update Beneficiary Designations and Account Ownership

Many online financial platforms offer payable-on-death designations. Review them regularly. This prevents funds from becoming frozen or stuck in probate.

6. Decide What Happens to Your Social Media and Online Work

Clarify whether accounts should be memorialized, deleted, or transferred. If your career or income depends on online platforms, provide instructions for ongoing contracts, monetized content, or active brand deals.

7. Keep Your Plan Updated

Digital life changes constantly. Review your plan every couple of years or after major life events to ensure your information, contacts, and instructions remain accurate.

These steps ensure that your online identity, income, and memories do not disappear simply because no one knows where to begin.

How Wills and Trusts Handle Digital Assets

A traditional will often overlooks digital property. A modern estate plan includes:

• Powers that allow your Personal Representative to access digital files

• Instructions for crypto, digital businesses, and revenue streams

• Directives for social media and subscription accounts

• Access for loved ones to retrieve photos, messages, and documents

These instructions prevent delays, confusion, and heartbreaking losses of irreplaceable memories.

Your social media income is a real asset. Without access to these dashboards and payouts, families can lose monetized earnings instantly—digital planning matters.

Real Life Scenario: When Digital Assets Go Wrong

A family came to us because their mother kept all household bills, tax records, and sensitive financial information in a password-protected email account. When she passed away, even with legal authority, the provider refused access without a court order. It took months, multiple filings, and unnecessary stress.

A simple digital estate plan would have kept everything moving smoothly.

Real Life Scenario: When It Goes Right

Another client documented every account inside a secure password manager and paired it with clear instructions in their trust. When they passed, the Trustee immediately had access to everything. No court delays. No locked assets. No confusion. And most importantly, no financial loss.

Your Digital Life Deserves Protection

Your online accounts tell your story. They hold your photos, your work, your conversations, and in many cases, your money. Digital estate planning is no longer optional. It is essential.

Murray Law Firm helps families create clear, modern estate plans that protect every part of their lives, including their digital ones. A well-planned estate plan gives your loved ones clarity during a difficult time and ensures your legacy does not disappear behind a forgotten password.

If you want help creating or updating your digital estate plan, we are here to guide you.