044: Planning your digital estate

Season #5 Episode #44

In this episode, Mia and Dinah interview Anna Hacker, the host of the ‘What Happens When I Die?’ podcast, about digital estate planning. 

Anna Hacker is the National Manager of Estate Planning in the Trustees Services arm of Australian Unity. She trained as a lawyer and is an accredited specialist in Wills & Estates. 

She hosts the popular podcast “What Happens When I Die?” which explores the legal outcomes of dying. In each episode, Anna is joined by guests to discuss what happens to your kids, your superannuation, your stuff and even your body after you pass away

Digital estate planning for beginners

During the interview, they chat with Anna about:

  • The complexities of your digital footprint including photos, access to banking, digital files in the cloud, email accounts, passwords, social media accounts
  • The rules for different email providers on how to access email accounts after you have died
  • Making sure you don’t put passwords in your will as it becomes a public document
  • Ghosting - identity theft after you die
  • Appointing a digital executor - to ensure they have the skills needed to deal with digital assets
  • Preparing a Digital register to include with your statement of wishes, including the location of digital assets  and making sure it is kept updated
  • Using a password manager to grant access to a loved one in case of death or incapacitation 
  • Understanding the rules of the various social media platforms and setting up a legacy contact on Facebook
  • Sorting out your files and photos and having a conversation/death talk about what is important and where they can be found
  • Making sure you update your will when there are key life events or changes.

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