What Clearwater Older Adults Need to Know About Digital Estate Planning

In today’s world, Clearwater estate planning goes far beyond wills and bank accounts. Older adults often manage emails, social media profiles, cloud storage, and Bitcoin or other digital currencies. If your digital life is part of how you connect with others, store memories, or manage finances, including these assets in your estate plan is essential.

Without clear instructions, your loved ones may be left in the dark or locked out entirely. Our experienced Clearwater estate planning attorney provides trusted legal guidance to clients throughout Pinellas County and explains the different types of digital assets and how to protect them.

The Rise of Digital Assets in Clearwater Estate Plans

Digital assets can include everything from Facebook profiles and online banking to photo libraries and cryptocurrency. Florida law doesn’t yet provide a comprehensive statute for every digital asset, but they are generally covered under the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA).

This law allows designated fiduciaries, such as executors or trustees, to manage digital accounts, including:

• Email accounts and cloud storage (including Gmail, iCloud, and Dropbox);
• Social media accounts, pages, and followers (such as on Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter);
• Digital photo and video collections;
• Financial accounts with online access (such as PayPal and Venmo);
• Cryptocurrency wallets and NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens);
• Online businesses or blogs;
• Streaming, subscription, and rewards accounts.

If your estate plan doesn’t address these or digital assets, your loved ones could struggle to locate, access, or preserve them after your death

How to Protect Digital Assets in Clearwater

Failing to include your digital assets in a Clearwater estate plan could cause them to be forgotten and may subject intended beneficiaries to time-consuming Pinellas County Probate Court proceedings. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help prevent this:

• Do a thorough inventory of all digital accounts, including login names, passwords, and storage locations;
• Use a password manager or legacy contact tools (like Apple Legacy Contacts or Google’s Inactive Account Manager) to simplify future access.
• Update your Clearwater will, trust, and other estate planning documents to include digital asset instructions.
• Designate a digital executor or trustee to manage online accounts and files.
• Work with an experienced Clearwater estate planning attorney to ensure compliance with privacy laws and platform-specific terms of service.

By doing this, you can prevent confusion, reduce legal hurdles, and help your family manage your affairs more efficiently.

To Ensure Digital Assets Don’t Get Overlooked, Contact Our Experienced Clearwater Estate Planning Attorney

Digital assets are a real and growing part of every estate. Whether you’re safeguarding online memories or cryptocurrency investments, making your wishes known now is one of the best gifts you can leave behind.

As a Florida Bar-certified Elder Law Specialist and certified National Elder Law Foundation specialist, Clearwater estate planning attorney William Rambaum has over 40 years of experience helping older adults in Clearwater. We can guide you in creating a customized plan that includes physical and digital assets, ensuring nothing is left out. Call or contact us online today to schedule a consultation.

Sources:

uniformlaws.org/committees/community-home?CommunityKey=f7237fc4-74c2-4728-81c6-b39a91ecdf22

mypinellasclerk.gov/Home/Probate-Mental-Health