By Sue Doerfler, The Republic
Deciding who gets what when we die is difficult enough when it comes to divvying jewelry, collectible baseball cards, family heirlooms, houses and cars.
It can be even trickier to arrange control of our digital assets.
People’s virtual legacies include e-mail, photo-sharing and social-media accounts. However, because of laws and user-service agreements, our heirs may have trouble gaining access to them, even if they have the passwords.
Plus, most of us don’t include digital assets in our estate plans, experts say. This also can create problems for heirs.
Statement by Laura Bianchi:
“This is one of the many reasons it’s important to meet with your estate planning attorney and ensure you disclose and discuss ALL of your assets that have monetary and/or sentimental value. Having a complete and effective estate plan is really a gift to the loved ones you will leave behind, as it ensures that the administration of your estate will not have the effect of causing greater stress, anxiety and tension during a time that is already quite difficult.”
