Estate Planning: Online Information

By Nicholas Vanikiotis

Let’s face it, pretty much everyone and everything today is online, whether it is banking information or social networking sites. Who will control such sites and gain access to them when you pass away? This is a question people should ask themselves, especially when we are living in a digital age. Putting account IDs and passwords in either a safety deposit box or a virtual deposit box is not a bad idea.

Imagine if you did not have any of your accounts or passwords stored for your beneficiaries. This would make it very tough for them to gain access to money and any other delicate information. In most cases they will have to get a court order that will cost your beneficiaries time, money, and the hassle of going through the process.

There are many online deposit options available. For example, Wells Fargo offers an online protection service of all your financial documents, which can include your will and any other estate plan documents you may have. They are also not very expensive at all. For example, keepyousafe.com only costs $50 per year for up to 5 gigabytes of storage. Thus, placing your account information in a secure place is a valuable investment and will ensure that your beneficiaries can gain access to your accounts after you pass away.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124796142202862461.html?mod=relevancy

http://www.atelier-us.com/consumers-and-ecommerce/article/wells-fargo-to-offer-online-safe-deposit-box-for-the-security-minded

http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/checklist-29472.html;jsessionid=2CC16BF05710149684C5A4BCBDB28D42.jvm1

http://www.keepyousafe.com/pricing.php