What Happens to Email, Web Accounts, Digital Music, eBooks and Videos When You Pass?

Digital content on your computer, iPod, Kindle and other devices does not automatically transfer to your beneficiaries. Many of the files you download are not owned outright. Read the Terms of Service contracts on each site you have an account or from which you purchase media.

Access to an account is often limited to the user and not allowed to be passed along to a beneficiary. Again, read the Terms of Service for each account you open. Google, Yahoo and other sites handle the topic differently from one another. Fiduciaries and those named in an estate may not be granted access to accounts if logins and passwords are not left by deceased, and even then usage is often limited legally.

This area of estate planning is still developing and court cases will continue to explore the rights of fiduciaries and beneficiaries.

Below are several sites that explore these concepts in depth.

What Happens to Your Apple iTunes Music, Videos, and eBooks When You Die?

Don't Let Your Digital Assets Die Hard

What Happens to Your Digital Assets When you Become Incapacitated or Die?