NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — No one really wants to think about what might happen if they suddenly died or had a medical emergency.
Planning and making preparations now for not if, but when you die or even if you had a medical emergency is one of the greatest gifts you can give your loved ones.
You might be familiar with traditional estate planning, but there’s also what’s called digital estate planning. And there are several things you can do right now to make things easier in a crisis.
Having a will and power of attorney will help your loved ones follow your wishes, but there’s more to do.
Think about your online accounts and which bills you pay with a swipe. Are there important documents in your cloud storage? And what about all those photos on your phone? Create a digital estate plan.
First, set up an ‘in case of emergency’ document. Jot down the names, phone numbers, and emails of important people in your life. List the location of important documents, like birth certificates, passports, and social security cards.
“This document should also have your bank accounts, investments and recurring bills," said Brian Vines from Consumer Reports. "Put down when they’re due and how you pay them. Be sure to mention if anything is autopay.”
Two, share your passwords. In order to pay your bills and handle other affairs someone needs your log-in info. If you don’t want to spell out your passwords, give hints. Or keep it simple with a password manager.
Consumer Reports recommends using 1Password. The 60 dollars a year family plan covers up to five people who get access to shared folders.
The third thing to do – designate a legacy contact for your online accounts.
“A few tech companies let you grant control to someone else," said Vines. "There’s Google’s Inactive Account Manager, Facebook Legacy Contact, and Apple’s Legacy Contact to name a few.”
Next, add your digital assets to your traditional will. That way everything is tied together in one place and easy for your family or close friends to find.
Finally, have an emergency planning meeting.
Tell your loved ones your wishes and where they can find this information. Providing easy access to online accounts can make a painful time less stressful. And having things in order will give you peace of mind.
For your social media posts and stories, you can use the free social media will generator from Epilogue.
It creates a document that has your wishes on what to do with your Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and other social media accounts.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at jennifer.kraus@newschannel5.com.
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