A will says who inherits what. This is how to make sure your family can actually find and access everything you own.
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Most people think of estate planning as a will and a solicitor — and that is an essential legal foundation. But a will only says who inherits what. It rarely says where anything actually is: which folder holds the property deeds, what the car's registration is, where the watch collection is insured, or which exchange account holds a crypto balance.
That gap is where families lose time, money and, sometimes, entire assets. This guide covers the practical side of digital estate planning — organising your documentation so the people you trust can actually find and act on everything you own.
It is not about digital assets alone (though those count too). It means keeping a living, accessible record of:
The goal is simple: if something happened to you tomorrow, could someone you trust find all of this within an hour — not weeks of searching drawers, inboxes and old laptops?
A few patterns come up again and again:
Passwords and account access exist only in one person's head or phone
Physical documents are scattered across drawers, a loft box and old email accounts
No single person knows the full list of what is owned, insured or financed
Digital-only assets (crypto, domains, online accounts) are never mentioned to anyone
None of this is negligence — it is simply what happens when documentation accumulates informally over years. The fix is a system, not more effort.
Start by working through each category you actually own. You do not need everything perfect on day one — a partial, organised record beats a complete, scattered one.
The hardest part of digital estate planning is usually access: you want your family to be able to reach your records if something happens to you, but you do not want to hand over full access to everything today. A workable approach uses two layers:
How Shaboodle helps: Shaboodle's family sharing and legacy nominee features let you organise every asset type in one place, share what makes sense today, and set up a trusted contact who can step in when needed — without you losing control in the meantime.
Go asset type by asset type — vehicles, property, collectibles, digital accounts.
Deeds, certificates, policies, valuations — scan or photograph each one.
Not spread across email, a laptop and a drawer — one searchable vault.
Decide who should have access, and when.
Assets change — revisit the list at least once a year.
Important: This guide covers practical document organisation, not legal advice. A will, and in some cases a Power of Attorney, should still be arranged through a qualified solicitor — organising your documentation makes that process faster and your wishes easier to carry out, but it does not replace it.
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