I started keeping an “In case I’m dead” file for my immediate family pre-9/11 after a close call on a flight. Basic instructions about what accounts I have and

I started keeping an “In case I’m dead” file for my immediate family pre-9/11 after a close call on a flight. Basic instructions about what accounts I have and where. 20+ years and a marriage later I’ve updated things to ensure my spouse has ready access to all of our financial accounts through a shared email account. We use a 1password family account with individual accounts for both of us and a shared “vault” for all household items. There’s still a paper folder with key passwords and passphrases (eg the 1password master key for my account). I keep our domains renewed well into the future so that nothing expires suddenly while whoever is dealing with my estate. All important information is kept in our safe deposit box including a thumb drive. Can’t assume any digital media will be usable, regardless of format, so everything critical is printed. I had to manage my parents estates in the early 2000s and my experience then was that the digital companies had very little experience or idea of how to deal with estates. Some simply asked for a copy of the letters of estate, others made it extremely difficult. Can’t imagine what the current crop of social media businesses will do.