Supporting Executors with Digital Legacies

As an Executor or Digital Executor, you play a vital role in ensuring these assets are handled with dignity, security, and respect for the person’s wishes. Forevermore exists to guide you through this emerging area of estate administration, helping you understand what digital assets exist, how to locate them, and how to manage them responsibly.

What is a Digital Executor?

A Digital Executor is the person entrusted to manage someone’s digital presence after their death.
This role may include:

  • Accessing or closing social media and email accounts
  • Retrieving important files or photos from cloud storage
  • Cancelling digital subscriptions and memberships
  • Managing online banking, investments, or cryptocurrency
  • Preserving meaningful content — such as messages, voice notes, or creative work — for family remembrance

You may have been formally appointed as a digital executor in a will or estate plan — or simply asked by an executor or family member to help. Either way, you play a crucial role in maintaining both the security and dignity of the deceased’s digital life.

💡 Tip: The American Bar Association and Law Society of England & Wales recommend appointing a digital executor wherever possible to ensure a trusted person can act within legal boundaries.

What Are Digital Assets?

Digital assets are anything of value — personal, sentimental, or financial — that exists in digital form.
Examples include:

  • Personal emails, messages, and contacts
  • Photos, videos, or cloud storage files
  • Social media profiles (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.)
  • Banking, investment, or cryptocurrency accounts
  • Subscriptions and memberships (Netflix, iCloud, Amazon, etc.)
  • Digital business tools, websites, or online stores
  • Domain names and creative works (blogs, designs, writing)

These assets can hold immense emotional and practical importance. Without planning, they can become inaccessible, lost, or vulnerable to fraud.

📘 Note: Laws such as the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) in the U.S. and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe recognise the growing need for responsible digital estate management.

What to Expect When Managing a Digital Estate

Acting as an executor or digital executor can feel overwhelming - especially during a period of grief. The process often involves technical, legal, and emotional steps, such as locating passwords, contacting service providers, and making sensitive decisions about what to preserve or delete.
It’s normal to feel unsure where to start.
That’s why Forevermore has developed two free, structured tools to help you begin with confidence:

  • A Digital Assets Register Template — to record what exists and where it’s stored
  • A 30-Day Checklist for Digital Executors — to guide your first steps after someone’s passing

Each guide is designed to bring order, clarity, and compassion to what can otherwise feel like chaos.

Download free guides:

Digital Assets Register Template

This practical template helps individuals, executors, and estate planners record essential details about digital accounts and files — safely and systematically.

Download Free Asset Register

Checklist for Digital Executors – Actions to Take in the First 30 Days

This 30-day checklist walks you through the most important actions to protect and manage digital assets responsibly and lawfully.

Download Free Checklist