When you think about getting your affairs in order, your mind probably goes straight to the usual stuff—your house, your car, your savings account, and maybe even your family heirlooms. But there’s something else just as important that often gets overlooked: your digital assets. If you’re like most people, a big part of your life now exists online. The truth is that those digital pieces matter more than you might think.

You’ve got email accounts full of personal memories and maybe even important documents. Social media profiles hold photos, messages, and connections with people all over the world. The same goes for online bank and investment accounts. Perhaps you’ve got a PayPal balance or a few bucks in a Venmo wallet. Then there are streaming subscriptions, cloud storage, crypto wallets, blogs, e-books, loyalty points… The list adds up fast. So, what happens to all of that when you’re no longer around? And more importantly, how can you make sure it’s handled the way you want it to be?

Hence, you need to create a plan for your digital assets, especially if you live in Arizona.

What Are Digital Assets?

Digital assets are anything you own or control that exists in a digital format. That includes files stored on your computer or cloud service, but it also means things like:

• Email accounts (Gmail, Outlook, etc.)
• Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X)
• Online banking and investment platforms
• Digital currencies like Bitcoin
• Photos and documents saved in Google Drive, iCloud, or Dropbox
• Domain names or websites you own
• Online store accounts like Amazon or Etsy
• Streaming services (Spotify, Netflix, etc.)
• Rewards points (airlines, hotels, retailers)

Even if these assets don’t have much monetary value, they could have major emotional or practical importance. Think about your family photos in your Google Photos account or a personal blog you’ve been writing for years. Wouldn’t you want your loved ones to be able to access those?

Why You Need a Plan

Without a clear plan, your family could run into some serious roadblocks. Companies like Google and Apple have strict privacy policies and terms of service. That means they might not give someone access to your accounts—even if that person is your spouse or child—unless you’ve explicitly given permission.

Arizona follows the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), which was adopted in 2016. This law lets you give a trusted person (usually your executor or agent under a power of attorney) the legal authority to access your digital assets. However, this can be possible only if you plan ahead and say so in writing.

So, if you don’t leave clear instructions, your digital life could be locked away permanently. Your family could lose important memories, miss out on financial assets, or have no way to manage your online identity after you’re gone. And honestly, the last thing your loved ones need during a difficult time is to deal with tech-related headaches.

How to Get Started

Creating a digital estate plan might sound complicated, but you don’t have to be a tech expert to do it. Here’s a simple step-by-step approach that works well for Arizona residents:

1. Take Inventory

Start by making a list of all your digital assets. Go through your phone, computer, browser bookmarks, and email to jog your memory. Include login credentials if you’re comfortable—but be sure to keep this list somewhere secure, like in a password manager or an encrypted file.

You might organize your list like this:

• Email: Gmail (johndoe@gmail.com), Outlook (johnaz@hotmail.com)
• Social Media: Facebook, Instagram
• Finance: Bank of America, Robinhood, PayPal
• Cloud Storage: Google Drive, Dropbox
• Subscriptions: Netflix, Amazon Prime
• Crypto: Coinbase wallet, hardware wallet

You don’t need to list every single password, but you do want to make sure someone knows what accounts exist and where to find more information.

2. Decide Who Should Have Access

Think carefully about who you trust with your digital life. This could be the same person you named as your executor, or someone different—maybe a child who’s good with tech, or a spouse who knows your preferences.

Under Arizona’s version of RUFADAA, you can name a digital fiduciary in your estate documents. This person will have the authority to manage your digital accounts in the way you direct—whether that means preserving your data, downloading photos, closing accounts, or something else.

You can even be specific. For example:

“My daughter, Emily, may access my Google Photos and download family pictures, but she may not access my private journal stored in Evernote.”

This gives your digital executor clear guidance—and saves them from making tough guesses later.

3. Update Your Estate Plan

Here’s the important part: you need to put your digital wishes in writing. A verbal promise or a sticky note isn’t enough. In Arizona, your best bet is to update your will, revocable living trust, and power of attorney to include provisions for digital assets.

A good estate planning attorney in Arizona will know how to include the right legal language that works with RUFADAA. For example, your documents might say:

“I authorize my fiduciary to access, manage, distribute, and delete my digital assets and electronic communications in accordance with the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act.”

That sentence might sound a little formal, but it’s the legal wording that makes everything official.

Remember Those Passwords

Even with the law on your side, your digital executor still needs a way to get into your accounts. One easy solution is to use a password manager like LastPass, 1Password, or Bitwarden. These tools let you store all your logins in one place—and you can share emergency access with someone you trust.

Some services, like Google’s Inactive Account Manager, even let you set up automatic access. For example, you can tell Google to give your spouse access to your email and photos if your account goes inactive for 3–6 months.

Sample Scenarios

Let’s say you’re an Arizona retiree who’s been trading a bit of crypto and has a small blog about desert gardening. Your blog is hosted on WordPress, your crypto is stored in a cold wallet, and you’ve got thousands of photos on iCloud. You also have a Gmail account, a Facebook profile, and you like to shop on Amazon.

If you pass away without a digital estate plan:

• Your spouse may not be able to access your iCloud to retrieve family photos.
• Your kids may have no idea how to find your crypto wallet or the password.
• Your Facebook profile might remain active indefinitely (which some people find upsetting).
• Your blog might disappear completely, along with your tips and personal stories.

But if you have a plan in place:

• Your spouse can download and save your photo library.
• Your children can manage your crypto according to your instructions.
• Your Facebook can be memorialized or deleted—whatever you prefer.
• Your blog content can be preserved or passed down.

That’s the difference a digital estate plan can make.

On Leaving Your Digital Legacy

Digital assets aren’t just “extra” anymore. They’re part of your legacy, just like your home, your keepsakes, and your stories. And in Arizona, you have the legal tools to make sure your digital life is handled with the same care as everything else.

It might feel weird to think about who’s going to manage your email or your Netflix account when you’re gone—but taking the time to plan now can save your loved ones a ton of confusion and heartache later.

So do yourself—and your family—a favor: make that list, choose your digital fiduciary, and talk to a local Arizona estate planning attorney to get everything in writing. Because in the end, getting your affairs in order isn’t just about planning for death—it’s about making life easier for the people you care about most.