I am currently single; when I was married/partnered I didn’t have qualms about sharing pretty much anything.
I still don’t, but it occured to me that nobody in my life knows my log-in information for anything. (Yes, I know there are companies that claim to take care of that.) I get small quarterly payments into PayPal; I’d rather a friend get that money should I suddenly assume room temperature. So earlier this evening I told a friend my PayPal log-in.
If I were to pop off suddenly, nobody knows my Straight Dope log-in information (not that it’s secret; it’s not; I just haven’t discussed details with anyone.) So if I suddenly stop posting here, nobody would know what the deal is. My yahoogroups information is known because quite a few people I know IRL, I also communicate with on yahoogroups.
Have you made any back-up plans for your online business, personal or otherwise?
I am currently single. I made a table with three columns. It had website address, username, and password. I printed it off and gave it to my brother when I gave him my last will and testament.
My dad has all his passwords stored in an encrypted password locker app.
My sister (who will be executor) has the first half of the password to the app. This half always stays the same.
The second half, which he changes every few months, gets stored on a piece of paper in a safe deposit box that she will have access to as executor. Clever, eh?
I’m not sure what the point of giving someone my internet passwords would be.
Unless they are a joint owner of the account, it would be illegal for anyone to log into my accounts and start moving money around or withdrawing it even if I gave them permission before I died. (The money would no longer belong to me, it would belong to my estate.)
The proper procedure is for the executor to contact the bank and present them with letters testamentary and arrange for access to the funds that way. For this they will certainly need a list of the financial institutions where I have funds. For access to “payable on death” accounts, the beneficiary will need to contact the bank with a copy of my death certificate and identification in order to take control of the accounts. For any joint accounts, the other owner already has access.
Self-help to a decedent’s assets, whether the valuables in my house or electronically-accessed accounts is improper.
We have all our info in a password app as well; Typo Knig and I are the only ones that know that password. As it happens, it also has the password for the online vault (Dropbox) that contains the password files.
So, in theory, all an executor would need would be the Dropbox password (to which we’re gradually adding scans of financial documents), and the password vault password. We do not have those written down anywhere; we should probably put those down in a sealed envelope somewhere where our executors could find it.
Which reminds me: I read an article a few months ago by a fellow who said that each year, he makes up an envelope with essential “if I die” info, and leaves that somewhere specific in his house. It contains passwords, location of essential documents (like the will), etc.
Just to have it all worked out like that, in James Bond fashion. Most people don’t organise their lives as efficiently as that, let alone their deaths.