Just as banks work
with the survivors
of the deceased
to manage their
account, social
media companies
have had to begin
doing the same.
MATT LOW • WWW.MTLW.CO
Just as banks work with the survivors of the deceased to manage their account, social media
companies have had to begin doing the same. For instance, Facebook allows you to specify a
“Legacy Contact” to administer your account after your passing, while some service providers
like Google provide a digital deadman’s switch which will notify pre-specified “Trusted Contacts”
should your account lay dormant for a specified amount of time.
IF TAXES CAN BE DIGITAL, THEN WHY NOT THE OTHER INEVITABILITY?
Just because more of our assets are becoming digital isn’t to say that you shouldn’t still have
a will, and services that facilitate this and related documents are beginning to emerge. The
aforementioned Cake provides links and information for those seeking to start the process,
while a service called Willing — whose goal, according to co-founder Eliam Medina, is to make
“end of life planning easier, more affordable, and approachable” — will generate your last will and
testament based on a simple questionnaire. With an easy and straightforward interface, Willing
takes you through several screens where it asks you about your preferences related to your burial,
memorial service, individuals to whom you wish to leave your property, and who you’d like to
designate as executor of your will. In 10 minutes, I had a fully legal and executable will, albeit
a very basic one; more involved measures such as end-of-life directives or granting power of
attorney to someone require a paid upgrade.
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