In recognition of National Estate Planning Awareness Week, Jennifer Zegel, Partner and Chair of Kleinbard’s Trusts & Estates Practice, was interviewed by Relative Ease, an organization that provides estate planning organization tools to discuss an increasingly important component of estate planning: what happens to a person’s digital assets after death.
In the interview, Jen discusses the importance of identifying and inventorying digital assets and accounts before they become difficult for a fiduciary or family member to locate. She also addresses the distinction between having the technical ability to access an account and having the legal authority to do so, as well as potential obstacles presented by federal privacy law and state fiduciary-access laws, including the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA).
The key takeaway is simple: do not wait until a crisis to organize your digital life. Maintaining an up-to-date inventory and incorporating digital assets into an estate plan can make it significantly easier for fiduciaries and loved ones to identify and appropriately manage those assets after death.
To read the full article, click here.
