3. Maintain and share your digital estate plan

Creating your plan is only the first step.

To keep it effective, you’ll need to review it regularly, update it as your digital life changes, and make sure the right people know how to access it when the time comes.

Explain your setup to the people you love and trust

With your plan in hand, you need to sit down and talk to the people who will be inheriting your accounts. If you want to use a password manager for your handover, spend a day or two walking them through the process. If you’re going to leave some instructions in a safe, show them how to open it. These demonstrations will give them a chance to ask questions and raise concerns that you might not have considered.

If you’re unsure how to start these conversations, take inspiration from 1Password founders Sara and Dave Teare, who shared their personal approach to estate planning on the Random but Memorable podcast. Taking examples from their personal lives, they explain how small, honest conversations – about everything from who pays the bills to how to unlock a laptop – can make all the difference when it’s time to put a plan into action:

Keep your plan up to date

Our lives are always changing. You might buy a new phone, switch banks or invest in a digital currency for the first time.

Technology is constantly evolving, too. More companies are thinking about security and adding two-factor authentication as an option. We’re adding new features to 1Password all the time, too. It’s important, therefore, to come back every so often and think about what, if anything, you need to change about your digital estate plan.

Use the right tools

A password manager like 1Password makes it easier to organize your accounts, store recovery codes, and securely share information through shared vaults. You can also download or create a simple checklist to track:

• Which accounts and devices are included.
• Who will receive access.
• Where your instructions, recovery codes, and Emergency Kit are stored.

Talk about it regularly

You should also keep talking to your loved ones. They might forget where you’ve left your handwritten instructions. Or how to access the shared vault that you’ve set up for them in 1Password. Others will benefit from a “trial run” every so often.

These conversations can be difficult but if you’re honest and flexible with the people you care about, there’s no reason why your digital handover shouldn’t occur without a hitch.