Is anyone going to inherit your "digital legacy" when you die?

[True Dough]

Apple seems to think it's a good idea. How about you?

Link to tweet

[lapfog_1]

1. nope

my stuff is already encrypted... and only I know the key.

[Walleye]

2. I really don't care what happens after I die

[PJMcK]

3. Right on

Take care of your business so your executor can step in and close everything easily.

I’ve learned this lesson from many different sources: Don’t leave a mess behind you.

[Walleye]

5. All of my meager investment assets have my brother as beneficiary. No will necessary

I really appreciated it when my parents died. Everything was in order. Me and my two brothers split everything three ways. When I see families who fight over inheritance I can’t believe it

[jimfields33]

4. I totally agree. Who cares.

I did briefly thought about the movies I purchased on Amazon but thought “screw it. Not worth it”.

[samnsara]

6. im going to look into this.. i have one child and no functional sibs left and i have hundreds

..of old photos from the 30s that my grandma 'inherited' then my mom and now me. I have my grandparents marriage license and wedding certificate from the early 20s...and i was just wondering who/how the hell would anyone access my digital collection after i leave for the rainbow bridge. I've given away so much vintage stuff I'm going to see something on Antique Roadshow..'Oh I bought this rare (whatever) at Goodwill for a quarter'...

I have my grandparents love letters, my grand fathers handwritten notes from when he was a beat cop and investigator in Oklahoma in the 30s and 40s. These are priceless..to me...but will go in the trash heap when i die

[bucolic_frolic]

7. There are organizations that preserve the past and would love your stuff

There are hometown organizations, era collections, category genres, religious organizations, genealogy enthusiasts. They could make a whole family tree and post some photos and letters there. There are probably even organizations in your neighborhood that do legacy archiving who might know a good use for your history - try a local hospice and ask if they do any archiving, legacy work, or can recommend someone.

For example, there is localwiki.com which builds the history of towns and cities from local participants. There are WWII groups that accept letters from the period and preserve them as part of American history. You granddad was a cop? FOP might have some interest, or advise on a group that does. Understand that stuff is rare! No one saved them, or only in old trunks. People move, out they go. Deaths? The stuff is at a yard sale. Old photos can be worth big money on eBay, especially if you know who they are.

If you just toss them, some dumpster diver or Thrift Store entrepreneur will grab them, scan them, clean them, reprint them. The right photo could be sold over and over for hundreds or thousands. See if there is an ephemera appraiser in your area, someone who collects paper memorabilia, and see if they will make a cash offer. Or try a local auction house.

[markie]

8. excellent idea

it has been a real problem for me since my husband died... he kept trying to get me to keep a file of all his passwords... I didn't want to accept that he would be gone someday... now I desperately want his pictures and documents and will pay dearly to get at them

[PXR-5]

11. Sorry to hear of this :(

I have been trying to get my wife on board with my stuff including financial stuff. It's a definite no go.

So I still pay bills online, but still make everyone send me paper bills in the mail.
It's such a waste, but when I kick the bucket she can go back to check writing or set up her own payment methods.

I always share photos with her and my phone is not password protected, but sadly she's just not on board with the important stuff.

[Mr. Scorpio]

9. That would be a nope.

[JT45242]

10. Part of our will documentation

We did our will a couple of years back and having a digital piece in teh will was a standard bit in the software that we used.

After dealing with my mom's death, trying to deal with all her online accounts and make certain they were closed down so they couldn't get hacked was a real pain in the butt.

If you don't have something about this in your will -- you probably should since data breaches seem to be so common. Just imagine if someone hacked your amazon account and bought thousands of dollars worth of stuff and your kids had no way to contest because you didn't give them your digital rights.

[PXR-5]

12. Google has a setting that

wipes your account clean after a period of inactivity that you can set.

I think mine is set at 90 days.

[RicROC]

13. Eastman Kodak Company has predicted for many years that after a person passes...

all the photos from that person's era will be locked in a computer and lost forever.

Good idea to have a Digital Legacy.

[FakeNoose]

14. Make sure the person you designate as the executor

... accepts the designation. Also if it's your spouse, it might be a good idea to also ask another younger person as a backup. Make sure that person has whatever passwords, user names and ID he/she needs to get into your devices.

Maybe that's not so important for your cellphone but it's vital for any desktop or laptop computer.