These days we have an added layer of concerns to address in the form of our digital accounts. Many people conduct a lot of business online, and you may also conduct a significant portion of your social life on the Internet.
When you are planning your estate you must take these online accounts into consideration and make preparations so that they will be handled according to your wishes when you pass away. Each different entity or institution that offers online services has its own unique policy, and you would you do well to explore these policies so that you can go forward in an informed manner.
With the above in mind Google has recently spread the news about a new tool that is going to help people plan for the digital afterlife. We all know Google as the leading search engine, but Google provides many additional services such as Gmail, Blogger, YouTube, Google+, and others.
This new tool is called the Inactive Account Manager. You can set it to a particular period of time, and if you’ve been inactive for this duration Google will either delete your accounts entirely or forward data to a representative or representatives that you choose.
Estate planning in the digital age does indeed include some of these finer details, and it is important to keep them in mind when you are making preparations for the inevitable. Give the matter some thought and make sure that you let your representative know how you would like things handled after your passing.
Mr. Nirenstein is licensed to practice before the courts of the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court. He is a member of the Connecticut and Hartford County Bar Associations, and the Estate and Probate, Elder Law, Business Law and Real Estate Sections of the Connecticut Bar Association.
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