What happens to your digital footprint when you die

What happens to your digital footprint when you die

Recently, we sat down with our wonderful financial planner. We’ve been with him for about eight years now, and he never fails to drop a pearl of wisdom that makes us rethink life (and occasionally questions our holiday destinations). This time, he hit us with a little mind bomb:

“What have you done to secure your digital footprint after death?”

At first, I thought “well, I’ve got a password manager, so I’m sorted”. But then came the kicker: Have you shared that master password with someone you trust?

Cue the awkward silence. Because let’s be honest, most of us would rather admit to how many pairs of shoes we’ve hoarded than hand over our master password.

Why Your Digital Footprint Matters

We plan our finances, our wills, even our funeral playlists (mine currently includes some disco because why not go out on a high note?). But what about our digital footprint? From banking apps to loyalty programs, our online lives don’t magically disappear when we do.

As a bookkeeper, I look at this from three angles:

• Business continuity: Under the new QMS rules, advisors must secure their practice in case of injury or death. That means ensuring your “alternate” can access your business digital footprint.
• Client care: I want to encourage all my clients to secure their digital footprint so their business can be managed if a health disaster strikes.
• Personal legacy: On a personal level, I need to make sure my family can access my password manager if ever required.

Your digital footprint is part of your financial legacy. If it’s locked behind passwords, it could cause unnecessary stress for your loved ones at the worst possible time. Worse still, if they can’t find your access details, valuable data could be lost.

And it’s not just about unclaimed funds, ongoing subscriptions, or intellectual property. Think about the emotional assets too — photos, messages, playlists, and yes, even those embarrassing book drafts you never told anyone about. (Do we really want our families finding our half-written intergalactic romance novels? Maybe not.)

What You Can Do

Here are four simple steps to protect your digital legacy:

• 📱 Document your devices, accounts, and digital assets
• 🔒 Choose a secure storage method
• 👥 Inform a trusted person how to access it
• 🔄 Review and update regularly

To make this easier, I’ve built out a free resource to get you started. Grab the editable form by shooting us an email from here: Beachy Bookkeeping Contact Page

This isn’t about doom and gloom — it’s about clarity, care, and protecting the people you love. One small step now can make a big difference later. And if you’re a practice owner, it’s a legacy move your client’s  families will thank you for.

Stay cool and hit the beach!