With so much of our everyday lives now being paperless, and paper trails no longer existing in the way they used to, it is difficult for people to identify every account that someone has. It is especially problematic when you also include our online accounts. In fact, in a YouGov survey in 2015, it found that over 50% of people wouldn’t be able to access the account of someone who has died. Documenting this information not only means that you have a record of it, but also that your most trusted people can access it at a time when it is needed.

It's free to use the Basic version. But if you want to upload your files and customise your vault, then why not subscribe to Premium for £36 per year. Unlocks all premium features including Personal Messages, Funeral Wishes and My Digital Legacy.

When surveyed, 75% of people said their children wouldn’t be able to access their online accounts when they died and over 50% of people saying their partner wouldn’t have access.

Furthermore, 20% of bereaved families, found it too difficult to locate and deal with the online accounts and so didn’t bother, which means this digital content could be lost forever*. What if you were to become incapacitated? Or would like someone else to manage your finances? Would your trusted people, loved ones, deputies or attorneys be able to access your online accounts to manage your affairs?

There are potential issues that may arise without proper planning;

• Will your loved ones know what online accounts you have?
  You may incur costs (subscriptions) if not all online accounts are known. Or maybe you have investments you would like to be passed on? What is the worth of your online accounts?
• Will your loved ones know what to do with them?
• Do accounts need to be closed? Social media accounts closed or memorialised, software uninstalled? Images stored?*

* Information is taken from www.pwc.co.uk/cyber-security/insights/digital-lives-we-value-our-digital-assets-at- 25-billion.html.

Online Accounts helps you to list your online accounts in a document called a Memorandum of Wishes. This document can be added to your Will, your Lasting Power of Attorneys and accessed by your trusted people. Not only can you list your online accounts but you can also set out what you would like to happen to them.

For example, would you want to memorialise your Facebook account or allow access to your photos and images.

The document ensures your loved ones have all the information they need to manage your digital assets when needed. A copy of the document is automatically added to your DigiFile, ensuring your trusted people can access the latest version.

Although hard to think about, it is important to imagine the types of decisions your loved ones will have to make regarding your funeral. They will be asked about caring for your body, whether to have you buried or cremated, your wake or memorial, what funeral procession route to take, what music to have and a multitude of other decisions. And, who would make the decisions? These questions will be made more difficult as they will need to be made at a very emotional time. Not only that, but would your loved ones know exactly what you want? Most people won’t have had, what could be classed as morbid conversations, and as such leaves their loved ones guessing what they do and don’t want at their funeral. By setting out your wishes now you will help your family and friends when the time comes

You can reduce the burden further by arranging a pre-paid funeral. A pre-paid funeral usually covers the cost of the funeral itself as well as getting help and advice from a local funeral director. The fees, also known as disbursements, may well include things as minister’s fees, doctors’ fees, crematorium fees, a simple coffin, help registering a death, all of which will be dependent on the type of plan you choose. You can lock in today's prices and avoid the chance of inflation increasing the costs by prepaying for your funeral now.

Why use this tool?

• Guides you in a logical and manageable way without jargon.
• Allows you to access your funeral wishes when you want, add new information whenever you need and update it as and when.
• Produces a Memorandum of Funeral Wishes which is kept in your Important Documents, ensuring your trusted people can access the latest version, and which can be printed and kept alongside your Will.