For many people these days a number of aspects of our lives are conducted online and we use our electronic devices for everything from capturing video and photographs to banking and shopping.

It is important to plan ahead and think about whether you want to share these assets and account details with those people important to you so that they can access them in the future.

If you own a mobile phone or any kind of electronic device such as a tablet, computer or eReader you may want to read the digital affairs checklist below. This has been written by The Digital Legacy Association.

Digital affairs checklist

1. If you have a security password on a mobile phone or any other electronic devices, you may want to think about how best to pass on your passwords.
2. If you have any social media accounts (such as Facebook) you may want to download your photos and videos from them and pass them on to a loved one. You may also want to assign administrative access of your social media accounts to someone you trust.
3. If you have online subscriptions or other online accounts you may want to make suitable plans for each.
4. If you store photos or videos on electronic devices or in the cloud you may want to make a folder of your favourite photos and share them with a friend or family member. Sharing can occur through various internet services or by using an external memory stick or a hard drive.

Further support

The Digital Legacy Association (DLA) is a nationwide organisation that supports the general public, healthcare and social care professionals with areas relating to digital estate planning, digital legacy and bereavement.

See the ‘For the public section’ section on the DLA’s website for a range of tutorials to help empower people when making decisions about their online accounts.

For more information, visit the Digital Legacy Association.