In this incredibly advanced digital age, most of us have digital assets we use in our everyday lives. Those assets include everything from email accounts to social media accounts to personal and professional blogs. They might include online bill pay accounts, the ways you communicate with friends and family, and even how you store and share photos. The state of Georgia recently enacted a new law that regulates the ability to access those digital assets and electronic information following a death.
Estate planning means more than simply leaving your assets and property to your chosen beneficiaries. It includes maximizing tax benefits and leaving instructions for loved ones should you become physically or mentally unable to care for yourself. Today, it also means making provisions for your digital and electronic property. A skilled attorney can help you safeguard your digital information and appoint a trusted person to maintain control and management of those assets.
Prior to this new law, many companies would simply delete this information without granting access to your family. The new law allows a fiduciary (personal representative or trustee) you name and appoint in your will or trust to manage computer files, digital currency, text messages, social media accounts, emails, photos, domain names, ebooks, and virtual currency. That access and management can help your family and friends preserve your memory and access photos and videos that might otherwise be permanently lost.
Nearly every state has laws in place that govern the use and management of the digital property of the deceased. A July 2018 law signed into effect in Georgia gives a decedent’s fiduciary access to, and management of, digital assets and electronic communications. If you want to ensure proper care and handling of your digital assets after your death, contact Grissom Law, LLC. As part of planning your estate, we can help you include management of your digital assets in your estate planning process.
Disclaimer
This Blog/Web Site is made available for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and Grissom Law, LLC.