Digital Estate Planning

Many clients have carefully planned for their future to ensure they have Wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney and inheritance tax planning in place.  However, only about 3% of people have utilised their digital legacy tools offered by Apple, Google or social platforms to enable their loved ones to access any photos, messages and files held on a device after their death. 

If you have an iPhone, Apple now allows the user to designate a legacy contact to access this important data after your death.  As a Legacy Contact your executor or loved ones can:

• Access important data on your device to administer your estate
• Retrieve photos and any important information stored on your device
• Ensure that your digital data is handled as efficiently as possible

As many of us keep our memories on our phones, it is important to ensure that they are not lost.  Adding a legacy contact only takes a few minutes and can be accessed from you iPhone settings and can save your executors and loved ones time, expense, and stress later down the line. 

Estate planning today is about more than documents, it’s about devices. 

If you would like advice about your estate and how your digital assets fit into your estate planning, call Donaldson West on 01892 662233. 

Written by Melanie Barns - Chartered Legal Executive