Digital Assets After Death: Crypto, Social Media & Subscriptions

Digital assets are a relatively new category in estate planning — and the law is still catching up. But the stakes are real: billions of dollars in cryptocurrency sit in wallets no one can access. Irreplaceable family photos are locked behind Apple IDs with no heirs designated. Decades of purchased music, books, and films may evaporate when an account is closed.

This guide breaks down the major categories of digital assets and what you need to do to plan for each.

What Counts as a Digital Asset?

Digital assets include anything you own or control in a digital form:

• Financial digital assets: cryptocurrency, NFTs, digital wallets, PayPal/Venmo balances, airline miles, hotel points, gaming currencies
• Content with monetary value: digital music (iTunes purchases), ebooks (Kindle), digital films (Vudu, Apple TV), online stores or marketplaces you've built
• Domain names and websites: especially if they generate revenue
• Online accounts with stored value: Amazon gift card balances, credit card rewards, refundable deposits
• Intellectual property: writing, photography, music, code — particularly if it generates licensing income
• Social media accounts: these may have monetary value (influencer accounts, monetized YouTube channels) or significant personal/family value
• Cloud-stored content: photos, videos, documents in iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox

Cryptocurrency: The Highest-Stakes Case

Cryptocurrency is the area where estate planning failures cost the most — and where the most money is permanently lost after death.

Unlike a bank account, there is no institution that holds your cryptocurrency and can provide access with a death certificate. Access depends entirely on your private key or seed phrase. If your heirs don't have it, the cryptocurrency is gone — forever.

The seed phrase

Most self-custody wallets (hardware wallets like Ledger, software wallets like MetaMask) are secured with a 12–24 word seed phrase. Anyone with this phrase can access — and transfer — your entire cryptocurrency holding. It must be:

• Written down physically (never stored in a digital document or email)
• Stored securely (fireproof safe, safety deposit box)
• Passed on through a secure legal mechanism — typically a sealed letter held by your attorney, or a special provision in your trust

Exchange-held cryptocurrency

If your cryptocurrency is held on an exchange (Coinbase, Kraken, etc.), your heirs may be able to access it with a death certificate and the right documentation. Check your exchange's specific process and document it in your personal affairs record.

Work with an attorney

An estate planning attorney with experience in digital assets can help you structure a legal mechanism to pass on your seed phrases and private keys without exposing them in a document that could be accessed by the wrong person.

Purchased Digital Content: Less Than You Think

Here's a hard truth many people don't know: when you buy a song on iTunes, a book on Kindle, or a movie on Vudu, you typically don't own it. You own a license to access it — and that license often cannot be transferred at death.

Check the terms of service for your major content platforms. Most of them explicitly state that purchased licenses are personal and non-transferable. When your account is closed, the purchased content typically cannot be passed to heirs.

This means that large iTunes libraries, Kindle collections, and similar purchases may not be inheritable. It's worth documenting these accounts so your family can make informed decisions about whether to try to access them — but don't assume they represent transferable wealth.

Domain Names and Websites

Domain names are valuable digital property — they can be transferred, sold, or developed. If you own domain names, document:

• The registrar (GoDaddy, Namecheap, Google Domains, etc.)
• The account credentials (in a password manager)
• The renewal dates
• Your wishes — sell, transfer, or let them expire

If you operate a website that generates revenue, your executor will need access to transfer or wind down the business. This requires specific planning, especially if the website has ongoing vendor relationships, affiliate agreements, or a subscriber base.

Airline Miles and Hotel Points

Loyalty points policies vary significantly. Some programs allow transfer to a surviving spouse; others do not allow transfer at all. Check the terms of your major programs — and if the balance is significant, contact the program's customer service to understand the process for an estate claim.

Social Media Accounts with Monetary Value

If you have a YouTube channel, Instagram account, or other social media presence that generates income, this is a business asset — not just a personal account. Document:

• Platform and account name
• Whether it generates revenue and through what mechanism
• Associated AdSense, PayPal, or other payment accounts
• Your wishes (sell the account, transfer management, archive, or close)

What to Do Now

1. Make a list. Document every digital account that has financial value or significant personal value. Your personal affairs record (AmberLetters) is the right place for this.
2. Use a password manager. Secure all accounts in a password manager with emergency access designated. This gives your heirs a path to access without requiring you to write passwords on paper.
3. Handle cryptocurrency separately. Work with an estate planning attorney to create a legally sound mechanism for passing on seed phrases and private keys.
4. Set up platform legacy features. Google Inactive Account Manager, Apple Legacy Contact, Facebook Legacy Contact — set these up today. They take minutes.
5. Document your wishes. For each account, note what you want done with it: preserve, transfer, or delete.

Frequently Asked Questions