Planning for Digital Assets: How to Include Cryptocurrency, Online Accounts, and Digital Property in Your Estate Plan

Modern estates include assets that are easy to overlook and very easy to lose. A bank account can usually be found through paperwork and institutional records. A self-custody crypto wallet, a monetized website, or a cloud account full of critical records may disappear from the estate if no one knows it exists or how to access it.

That is why digital asset planning now belongs in ordinary estate planning, not just tech-focused estate planning.

What Counts as a Digital Asset

Digital assets can include:

• cryptocurrency and tokens
• exchange accounts
• email accounts
• cloud storage
• websites and domain names
• online stores
• social media accounts
• digital intellectual property
• loyalty points and other platform-based value

Some have clear financial value. Others have practical or sentimental value. Both matter.

Why Digital Assets Are Different

Traditional assets are usually discoverable through institutions. Digital assets are different because:

• the executor may not know they exist
• access may depend on passwords, private keys, or two-factor authentication
• platforms may restrict access by terms of service
• some assets, especially cryptocurrency, can be lost permanently if access information is gone

Legal authority alone is often not enough.

Cryptocurrency: The Most Urgent Category

Cryptocurrency creates the sharpest estate-planning problem because it is often controlled only through access credentials and recovery phrases.

Exchange-Held Crypto

Where crypto is held through a centralized exchange, the executor may be able to work through the platform’s estate process, but only if they know:

• the exchange exists
• which account belongs to the deceased
• what documents the platform requires

Self-Custody Crypto

Self-custody is the real danger area.

If no one can locate the wallet information, device PIN, or seed phrase, the asset may be inaccessible forever. That is not a legal problem a court can simply fix later. It is a practical access problem that needs planning before death.

Online Accounts and Digital Records

Executors often need access to:

• email accounts
• cloud storage
• subscription records
• banking and investing portals
• online tax records

Even where an account has no resale value, it may contain the information needed to locate other assets, terminate services, or understand the estate.

Social Media, Websites, and Online Businesses

Some digital assets generate income or have brand value.

Examples include:

• monetized YouTube or social accounts
• domain names
• blogs and affiliate sites
• Shopify or Etsy stores
• software or online intellectual property

Those assets should be treated as real estate-planning items, not as informal side projects the executor can “figure out later.”

The Access Problem

The core problem is that your executor may have the legal right to act but still lack the practical ability to do anything.

That is why digital asset planning usually requires two things:

1. legal authority in the will
2. a separate practical system for locating and accessing the assets

Do Not Put Passwords in the Will

This is one of the clearest rules.

Do not place actual passwords, seed phrases, or recovery codes in the will itself. Wills can become accessible in ways that make that unsafe and impractical.

Instead, the will should authorize the executor to deal with digital assets, while the sensitive access information is handled separately and securely.

The Digital Asset Memorandum

A digital asset memorandum is often the most practical solution.

It is a separate document that can record:

• what digital assets you have
• where they are held
• which email addresses or usernames connect to them
• what should happen to them
• where secure access instructions are stored

Because it is separate from the will, it can be updated more easily as platforms, passwords, and holdings change.

Password and Security Planning

The challenge is to make future access possible without making present-day theft easier.

That may involve:

• a secure password manager
• emergency access settings where available
• physical storage of certain recovery information
• clear instructions for the executor about where the access path begins

For cryptocurrency, seed phrase handling should be approached with particular care.

Digital Executors and Technical Help

Some estates benefit from naming someone with technical ability to help the general executor with digital assets.

That can be especially useful where the estate includes:

• meaningful crypto holdings
• self-hosted websites
• active online businesses
• complex account structures

Keep the Plan Current

Digital asset planning goes stale faster than most estate planning because:

• accounts change
• platforms disappear
• passwords rotate
• holdings move

If you are maintaining a digital asset memorandum, it should be reviewed regularly.

Integrating Digital Assets Into the Broader Estate Plan

Digital assets should not be treated as an afterthought. They should be considered alongside:

• executor selection
• tax planning
• asset inventories
• incapacity planning

If you are choosing the person who will administer a complex estate, read how to choose the right executor. If you are reviewing your estate plan after family or asset changes, our guide on updating your will after marriage, divorce, and children is the next step.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Digital asset planning should be tailored to the nature of the assets and the security risks involved.