Effective Management of Your Online Assets Critically Important for Your Digital Estate Plan

Ask yourself - what will happen to your Twitter account when you pass on? What about your Facebook account and Pinterest Board? What about your photos shared on a variety of social media platforms? These are important questions that need to be answered when planning your estate because your digital assets need to be part of that plan. Think about this - between 2012 and 2014, humans generated more data than in all of human history and the pace of that growth is only accelerating. Law Needs to Catch Up with Groundbreaking Technology There is an established set of laws for managing hard copy documents...

17 December

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Should You Adopt the Zuckerberg Strategy and “Donate” to an LLC?

Posted by KarenLewis

in Current Events

Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made headlines after announcing that he would be “donating” the bulk of his $45 billion fortune to charity. In some corners, Zuckerberg was derided since his “donation” was to a Limited Liability Company, as opposed to a charitable trust or actual charity, according to the Washington Post. The Zuckerberg-Chan Initiative (the LLC) will receive $45 billion worth of Facebook shares that Mr. Zuckerberg owns. So, in reality, no real charitable donation was made. Though, Zuckerberg has publicly stated that his LLC will focus on important charitable and public causes such as curing disease, advancing...

10 June

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Naming a “Techexecutor” to Manage Your Online Accounts

Posted by KarenLewis

in Current Events

People who have a Facebook account today could very well have a Facebook account up to the day they die. Facebook has become so engrained in our societal fabric that your online profile is akin to a part of your overall identity. So what happens when you die? Who manages, or takes down, your online identity? Well, Facebook has now given you the power to determine who makes that decision. Let’s call them you “Techexecutor.” Facebook will begin allowing its members to designate what they call a “legacy contact” to manage parts of your Facebook account posthumously, according to the...

23 May

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Dealing with Digital Assets – A Growing Need

Posted by KarenLewis

in Bobby's Blog

If a loved one suddenly passes away, family members, or the estate planning attorney for the decedent, have to organize the decedent’s assets. The usual assets that come to mind include the decedent’s home, vehicle, IRA, checking account, family heirlooms, etc. However, a growing need is finding and organizing the decedent’s digital assets. Certain digital assets can be overlooked, or even lost, during the settlement of an estate. These online accounts are a new class of personal property that may have monetary worth in addition to sentimental value. According to a survey by McAfee, the average internet user has nearly...

29 August

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Digital Assets in Your Estate: Are You Prepared?

Posted by KarenLewis

in Bobby's Blog

[caption width="210" align="alignleft"] Image Courtesy of Petervan's Blog[/caption]Do you have a plan for who will manage your Facebook account, Twitter account, Ebay business, Spotify account, etc.? If you answered no, it’s okay; not many people do. The issue of what happens with “digital assets” and accounts after a loved one passes away is growing in importance with estate planners. It makes sense considering our lives are becoming more and more digitized. A recent study showed that many people value their digital assets at an average of nearly $55,000. Beyond the potential monetary value of your digital assets in your estate,...