Before the internet, the loved ones we lost were remembered through the letters, photographs, keepsakes, and videos they left behind. These days, deceased loved ones have social profiles, gaming profiles, websites, and blogs, among others, behind. These things collectively make up their digital legacy: digital information left behind after death.
What’s more? There are certain software available today with which you can manage your digital legacy: this includes your digital assets and digital presence. Also, these apps allow you to manage your online accounts passwords so your loved ones can manage them if & when you die.
With these apps, you can upload photos, videos, notes, wills, and other things that keep your legacy intact. Basically, the applications enable you to set up your digital legacy just like you do for your physical estate but after your demise.
Digital Legacy System Applications
So, what are these applications? Below, we have done a review of six of them for you. Read through and identify which best serves your needs. Some of these apps are free, others are not.
Shared Affairs
Shared Affairs is a digital legacy and funeral wishes application that helps you with your affairs and give instructions to your loved ones after you are dead. With this application, you can do the following:
·Save critical information such as account passwords
·Share specific information with different individuals
·Create your will and store information for your probate
·Save your funeral wishes for your loved ones to carry out
·Save video messages, photos, text messages, goodbye letters, debts, promises made, and the likes for your loved ones
The best thing about this application is that it is free. You can access a wide range of functionality without paying a dime. Also, it has top encryption technology to keep your information safe. Nobody can see what you save on the app, not even its staff.
How Shared Affairs works is simple. You store your information in its digital vault. Then, at the assigned time, its contents will be released to your trusted persons. By the way, if your trusted person requests to see the content before the due date, you will receive a notification to either approve or decline their request. If you do not respond within a week, they will be given access.
FreeWill
FreeWill is an online software that guides you on how to write a will. It is free and fast – your will can be ready in less than 20 minutes. This solutiondoes not store any data.
Apart from writing new wills and updating old ones, its other capabilites are as follows:
Living Will: you can use FreeWill to outline healthcare instructions and choose someone to make decisions on your behalf in the event that you cannot do it yourself.
Beneficiary Designations: FreeWill can designate who will inherit what. Examples include your insurance policies, employer-sponsored retirement plans, and individual retirement plans.
Durable Financial Power of Attorney (DFPOA): with this solution, you can choose a trusted person to make financial decisions on your behalf if something happens that prevents you from doing so yourself. This person can ensure your bills are paid when due and that your financial accounts are accessible.
Revocable Living Trusts (only available to California residents): finally, FreeWill can help you circumvent California’s lengthy probate process. Basically, you can place your assets in a trust.
·To use Free Will, visit its website.
·Next, click on the “Get Started” button.
·Fill the forms with the necessary information – your full name, contact information, nominee information, and so on.
·With the information you provide, you will get a printable document with precise legal language
·Print out the document, sign it, make it official, and keep it safe
MyWishes
MyWishes is a digital legacy system that allows for when you are dead. It has the following functionalities:
Advance Care Plans: Plan for your future care and designate somebody to make them on your behalf if you can’t do so yourself.
Funeral Planning: MyWishes has a funeral planning software for outlining your funeral wishes such as what should be done and the amount your loved ones should expend. You can share these wishes with your loved ones and keep them with your important documentation.
Also, you can use this tool to write or record your obituary and also curate your funeral playlist.
Will Writing: this is MyWishes’s primary service. For a fee, you can prepare your Last Will and Testament and then, have it reviewed by a qualified and insured MyWishes solicitor. You can also share with your personal solicitor if you wish.
By the way, to make your will legally binding, you have to sign it in front of two witnesses who won’t benefit from your estate. Also, they have to countersign it.
Bucket List: you can also use MyWishes to create a bucket list of goals, tasks, and experiences you would like to undertake before you die. Doing this might help you focus your mind and make achieving them that much easier.
Social Media Will: this outlines how you want your online accounts handled after your death. These include your email, social, financial, betting, cryptocurrency, and gaming accounts. You can choose to either transfer ownership to someone else or have them closed.
Digital Legacy: with this tool, you can create goodbye messages for your loved ones. You can also make plans for your social media accounts and online media.
MyWishes charges £150 for a Basic Will and £250 for a Complex Will; other services are free. You can download a draft of your will for free too.
Everplans
Everplans writes and set up your will legally, with witnesses. The service costs $75 a year and comes with several other features apart from will writing. These functionalities are similar to those offered by other digital legacy systems on this list. For instance, you can:
·Save vital information about the doctor to contact in case of an emergency and where you bank
·Organise and save your life insurance policies, health documents, pet information, and digital accounts, among others
·Pre-plan your funeral
·Create goodbye messages for your loved ones, and much more
·Share your information with trusted persons
The product offers a 60-day free trial. After this, you’ll have to pay for access. By the way, it employs a robust security infrastructure to ensure your details are safe and cannot be compromised.
Keepsy
Keepsy offers to store your most crucial information in one place. Unlike some other products in this guide, it doesn’t offer will writing services. However, you can store your will, insurance, pictures, family secrets, mortgage files, property leases, last wishes, goodbye messages, and many more. You can also manage your online accounts and passwords.
Keepsy requires the addition of someone you trust as a “Keeper.” You can set up this person’s access to your account. Specify when they will gain it and for how long. And if you change your mind about them, the app makes it easy to revoke it as well.
Keepsy offers a 14-day free trial. Once this is up, you will have to pay €14.95 a year to continue with them.
Once I’ve Gone
The final legacy product on this list, Once I’ve Gone does not have a will writing tool. However, you can plan your funeral, from what music to play to how it should go. Also, you can record goodbye messages for your loved ones and store personal, legal, and financial information like a will, online platforms details, bank account details, life insurance, and so on. Upon your demise, all of these pieces of information will be made available for your loved ones.
Once I’ve Gone has both a free and paid version. Naturally, the paid version offers more tools and features than the free version. However, there is a 30-day free trial of the paid version that offers you to test its features and see if it offers what you need. After that, it costs £49 a year.
With these applications, you can leave behind an enduring legacy for your loved ones and ensure they remember you fondly.