How to protect yourself online as part of your funeral planning

by Shishir Chakma Digital Marketer and SEO Experts

If you’re thinking about funeral planning then you’ve certainly made a good decision. After all, there are numerous benefits associated with the concept and above all else, it can help relieve pain and suffering for your loved ones once you’ve gone.

One aspect of funeral planning you might not consider, however, is protecting yourself online before you die. In this article we take a look at what is meant by ‘digital assets’ and how you can help protect them.

What are ‘digital assets’?

Basically, the term ‘digital asset’ can refer to any type of digital file such as emails, images, audio and video coverage. Assets like these are typically stored on devices such as laptops, computers, tablets and even mobile phones. Indeed, you might be surprised to learn that around 300 million photos are uploaded to the social media website, Facebook, every single day of the week – not to mention around 4.5 million to Instagram. In fact, over 80% of the British population now choose to keep their photographs stored in digital form, as opposed to retaining hard copies in photo albums and the like.

Delving even further, as part of your digital assets, it’s likely you’ll have a few different account types such as social media accounts, email accounts, bank accounts and online shopping accounts. It’s estimated that around 68% of the UK population now shop online and 65% prefer online banking over traditional style ‘high street’ banking.

So what happens when I die?

The sad fact remains that if you pass away without taking your digital assets into account then certain items, such as online photos, can simply be lost – and thus you’ll lose your valuable family history. Because of online protection strategies in place it’s highly unlikely that your family and loved ones will be able to access any of your digital assets after your death and so it’s imperative to put plans into place should you wish them to be retained in the future.

How can I protect my digital assets?

It’s not difficult to protect your digital assets. In fact, all you need to do is leave an updated list of your online accounts, together with associated passwords, to a trusted family member or loved one. Alternatively, you could, of course, leave details of where they’re stored in your Will (so that you retain complete control up of your assets up until the date of your death) – but you must remember that all the passwords must be current and valid, otherwise your wishes may not be granted.

In the event your situation is more complicated – for example, your assets include any current business affairs – then you can always seek specialist advice from a digital estate planning service who should be able to point you in the right direction.

However, if you want to be remembered (including all your digital assets, whatever they might happen to be) then it’s important to consider your online footprint so that family and friends can remember you for the weeks, months and years to follow.