Do you know what happens to your phone when you die? Do you know where your photos will go? Do you know where all those “paperless statements” like your bank and super account details will end up? Do you want people posting to your social media account after you die, or do you want it shut down?
A friend of mine learned the hard way that her father had not set up the legacy contacts on his phone when he died unexpectedly, and then they couldn’t access the photos. You can read more about that here or watch her Tik Tok here. Unfortunately it was an iPhone and they are infamously hard to crack.
When my father-in-law died, despite having a son and two son in laws who worked with computers the family struggled to get into his phone and computer. In the end they got in but not before having to notify his work and other contacts, and plan a funeral without the benefit of these devices. It would have been so much easier if they had access to these devices from the start. People who have just lost a loved one really do not need an added cause of stress. These days security has improved, and my husband has already indicated to me that he isn’t sure he could “hack” something like that with modern security parameters unless his father told him the password. Presume that if you haven’t set up a legacy contact, they cannot get into it.
What is a legacy contact?
A legacy contact usually refers to someone who will get access to your account if you die. It probably means different things in different contexts, but if you were to Google legacy contact followed by the thing you are trying to protect (for instance, Gmail, Facebook or Samsung Galaxy) you will find out how to set one up.
All the devices or accounts will have a different approach, for instance iPhone won’t send your passwords to your legacy contact, but will send your photos. Setting this up will take 20 minutes or less, and while you are there you could even double check that you have set up a backup for each of these accounts (like a forgot password email) in case you forget your password or your account is compromised.
While you are here
While we are here, it would also be helpful to think about what contact details your family might need immediately after your death. Sometimes it can take time for the legacy contact information to reach your family, and they may not remember the name of that person at work anyway, they will be very stressed. Any decent death book or Letter of Wishes should have a space for you to write who they should contact, and a phone number, to make life easier. There should also be a space for you to write your funeral wishes.
Filling out a death book or Letter of Wishes will take longer than 20 minutes, but I assure you this information is far more valuable to your family than an online DIY Will. You can get all kinds of death planners like this one or this one or this one.
If you do an Estate Plan with me then we will complete a Letter of Wishes, together, you won’t be given homework that is simply added to your overwhelming pile of life admin. We will discuss it live, while working through the questions and starting to type up answers. This information is too important for me to ignore it, or leave it for you to complete at a later time on your own.
a paperless world and a paper based estate
While every organisation is trying to force you to do things in a paperless fashion, often those same organisations (for instance banks, superannuation companies and Telcos) will require an Estate to do everything by paper, by snail mail, with original ink to paper signatures. These systems are not set up to make things easier or simpler for your loved ones.
You can reduce so much stress for your family if you could do some homework for them now, and the great thing is that it is all life admin that you really should do anyway. You really should make sure that you have a back up for all your emails and social media accounts, and you really should make sure that you have a list of your accounts and insurance policies (but NOT any passwords) in case you lose your wallet or need to quickly make an insurance claim. Almost all of the things in this list will help you in life, as well as helping your family when you die. You are reducing stress for them, as well as reducing stress for yourself in the future.
Twenty minutes or less
Here are some other things that you could do in 20 minutes or less that will actually provide peace of mind or security for your family, that are free -
Update your superannuation details (no you don’t know how many superannuation accounts you have) - read more here
Go around and check the batteries in all of your smoke alarms, torches, and your radio. These are all things that we suddenly discover are flat at the wrong time.
Check the places that become fire hazards if they are not cleared out regularly (like lint in the dryer, filters in the fan above your stove, drip trays in any cooking devices)
Start a list of key documents or information that your family might need if you lose capacity, or lose your wallet, or need to make an insurance claim - read more here
Check the tyres on your motor vehicle - this article from NRMA says to check them once a week, I bet you haven’t checked in months. It will save damage to your tyres, and might avoid an accident for you or your family.
Things that you can do in 20 minutes or less that are not free that will provide peace of mind or security for your family include -
Buy that smoke alarm/fire blanket/fire extinguisher for that spot in the house that you have been thinking about. Do it online and then it is done, it will take a few months to arrive but it is one less thing for your life admin list.
Set up an account with BillWill where you put in all the bills that your family will need to deal with one day, and save them a significant amount of time and money - find out more here
Buy a mobile phone holder and charge cord for your car, if you don’t already have one. If you already have one then go and check that it is properly installed, if it is difficult to use when you are driving then figure out a safer alternative.
If you haven’t taken CPR or first aid training recently then do some research and book yourself in for a course. If you have done it find that manual and give yourself a refresher.
I need to do a will
Just to finish up while these things above are all really valuable, and actually way more helpful to provide security for you and your family than a DIY Will, you really should do a proper Estate Plan, with a lawyer, even if that lawyer is not me. If you want a referral for a lawyer who I know who has a lower price than me I am happy to give it. If you want to know more about what is involved in working with me then you could use the Book Now link at the top of the page to book in a free 15 minute Quick Chat, or use the email address at the bottom of the page to reach out.
If you want to know what the cost will be you can find more information about that under the “About” tab but word of warning, you are looking at thousands, not hundreds. I am passionate about proper, in depth Estate Plans, I don’t do Simple Wills.