Medical directives and wills are increasingly being stored online in order to allow your loved ones to have access to these crucial materials as soon as possible. This is because far too many people have experienced the unfortunate situation of having to deal with a loved one who did not provide easy access to estate planning materials. When you can’t find these crucial documents after someone becomes incapacitated or suddenly passes away, it puts all of your loved ones in a difficult position. 
While it seems convenient to store these estate planning tools online, there are a couple of different things you should keep in mind before you open an additional online account. Some technology startups have emerged into the space to ensure that all digital assets are stored online in a similar location. Consumers have, in general, become increasingly comfortable with certain aspects of their personal lives such as bank accounts online. It’s important to consider whether or not estate planning is the right choice to include in the most recent iteration of storing your data online.
While it’s good to have everything in one place, you might want to work directly with your own attorney to figure out the best place to store these materials. Any online tool to organize estate planning assets could also help with online accounts, which should most definitely be included, including photos and social media.
Every online account will have their own rules for access in the user agreement, and it can be difficult to figure this out on your own without the help of an attorney. Some of these accounts allow for you to name a person who has limited access after your death, but many of these tools are very ambiguous.
You’ll want to sit down with your estate planning lawyer to make sure you have included all of the most relevant material. There’s a good reason why you might not want to store your will or other estate planning documents online, and that is simply because you may be uncomfortable with putting so many sensitive and private details on the internet despite any claims that it could be secure. Always look at the security requirements for any online tool or website in which you intend to store materials.
