Put your usernames and passwords in your will, advises Japan's government

Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center on Wednesday suggested citizens start "digital end of life planning" and offered tips on how to do it. The Center's somewhat maudlin advice is motivated by recent incidents in which citizens struggled to cancel subscriptions their loved ones signed up for before their demise, because …

[Pascal Monett]

"Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

Good luck with that.

Most people can't be bothered with such mundane details. They let the browser remember.

We have tech that does its damndest to keep us from thinking. Social media feeds us automatically what it thinks we want, and we lap it up like thirsty dogs.

I don't see this initiative going anywhere.

[Yorick Hunt]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

"Social media feeds us automatically what it thinks we want wants us to think"

FTFY.

[Roland6]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

That’s a password manager, trouble is it will have a username, password, email address and potentially a mobile phone number associated with it. Naturally the phone will have an unlock code or biometric and the email account will also have its own access credentials which may use a totally different phone for SFA…

The fun and games really start when you discover the dead person was using an online share dealing account (for example) so need to firstly get into their PC etc., (to find out the details of the account); however you only discover this when going through a stack of papers and discover an annotated Excel spreadsheet, naturally this is after the phone and internet have been cancelled and so you can’t receive the authentication email sent to the email address provided as part of the broadband subscription…

Yes it was worth the effort in the end, even though no evidence of cryptocurrency trading was discovered.

Would not be surprised if in the coming years there are an increasing number of wealthy people who leave minimal real inheritance due to the wealth being locked in wholly digital accounts…

[vtcodger]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

I have to admit that I'm not really all that familiar with cryptocurrency -- which I consider to be an "investment" supported only by happy thoughts -- or blockchain which has always looked to me like a quite clever technology in search of actual problems to solve. But my vague understanding is that whoever holds the current key has access to the asset. I'd suggest that while you do want to write the key down somewhere where your heirs can/will find it, you do not want the actual key spelled out in your will which,at least in the US, is a matter of public record. I could easily be wrong about this. If so, I wouldn't mind being told why

[MachDiamond]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

"you do not want the actual key spelled out in your will which,at least in the US, is a matter of public record. I could easily be wrong about this. If so, I wouldn't mind being told why"

Wills are sealed documents and not public record. Even after somebody has died, not everything in the will might be disclosed to a relative where it has been stated to not tell them. The relative can bring an action in court and a judge can decide, but the judge will likely bias that decision towards the desires of the deceased unless there is a good reason.

[Dr Paul Taylor]

public wills

After Probate has been granted, wills in England & Wales are available for public inspection. (Scotland has its own legal system, which may be different, but probably not.)

Beware that banks will block incoming as well as outgoing payments as soon as you tell them that someone has died, so if you're an Executor, don't tell them until you've finished doing absolutely everything else with probate.

Putting these pieces of advice together, it's a bad idea to include passwords in wills.

[Stork]

Re: public wills

As we have bank and broker accounts as well as pensions in half a dozen European countries I have made a document listing them with account name and contact details if appliccable; not passwords. This is printed and left in a sealed envelope which at least three persons know where to look for.

The thinking is that with a (translated) death certificate, an executor should be able to get to the assets.

I went through it in Denmark last year as my mother died, that part was fairly painless as everything is hung up on the social security number and most entities subscribe to updates from there. Even Ryanair played ball and refunded a ticked when presented with death certificate.

Subscriptions? Banks here will freeze accounts and cancel cards, so that sorts itself.

[MachDiamond]

Re: public wills

"wills in England & Wales are available for public inspection."

I should have qualified my remarks to the US.

Are there permissions required for England and Wales? There can be a difference between "available for public inspection" and publicly published, as in just going online and doing a search.

Putting passwords in a sealed document an attorney keeps to be delivered to somebody after you die might be better. It could also be a sealed document that you keep and somebody else knows to retrieve. Terry Pratchett had a wipe routine on his computer that his assistant was instructed to execute after Terry died. You'd want to keep something like that safe so it wasn't known until after you pass away. It's a bit sad we won't know what was in store for the people on the Discworld. Losing Granny Weatherwax was pretty sad.

[MachDiamond]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

"Naturally the phone will have an unlock code or biometric and the email account will also have its own access credentials which may use a totally different phone for SFA…"

A biometric code would be the worst since the person providing those metrics isn't around to provide them anymore. It might be fine for a boarding check to get on an airplane (not that I put up with that), since the person flying needs to be respiring and circulating blood to get through security checks.

[Paul Herber]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

'respiring and circulating blood'

RyanAir charge extra for that.

[MachDiamond]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

"I didn't get a coherent reply."

Obviously, they'd have to provide breathable air and suitable temperature during the flight and that costs money. Take nothing for granted to be included in your ticket. Bring a packed lunch and some spare undies in case of delays.

[Paul Herber]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

RyanAir will charge corkage. For both ends.

[MachDiamond]

Re: "Maintain a list of your subscriptions, user IDs and passwords"

"RyanAir will charge corkage. For both ends."

So there's an extra fee for restroom tokens now?

[DS999]

Maintaining the list is only part of the problem

You obviously can't keep it in your will, because then you have to update your will every time you are forced to change one of your passwords. I'm sure your lawyer would love the extra business, but it is stupid.

The problem is you need to have the list accessible enough to keep it updated whenever a password changes or something you have a password for is either added or removed. But not so accessible that you're like my dad who kept a hand written list of all his passwords next to his computer. That was never a problem, but if someone had broken into the house and stumbled across that they could have caused a lot of problems. Ideally you'd keep an encrypted list somewhere accessible to your next of kin and put the encryption key for it in your will, but most people probably aren't clueful enough to set that up. Maybe there's an app for that, which keeps it in the cloud and you can have the list accessible to your wife and kids who have the same app installed (or can install it) but they can't decrypt it until your will is read?

I think the list of passwords you actually NEED is really short. You might think you need bank, brokerage etc. passwords but you don't. In order to legally transfer it they need a death certificate, at which point the password becomes irrelevant because it would be under a new name and you have to separately set up online access if you want it. I don't see why anyone would care about subscription stuff like Netflix - if you're sharing that with others then they have the password anyway so problem solved! I guess if you have a "subscription" where you have a lot of "owned" content like Steam it matters, but only if your next of kin care about that stuff at all.

[PhilipN]

Just a start

I regularly advise clients on making a will and first off hit them with a list of things they ought to do of which the Japanese recommendations are only a small part.

On the one hand the list gets longer every year.

On the other it is a cold dose of reality when you have an A4 page of items setting out your whole existence.

[Anonymous Coward]

After a health scare, I did make double sure my collection of Steam and GOG games would stay in the family.

Which isn't a given, as their licenses are non-transferable and tied to an individual.

Unlike banks and such which have a legal duty to hand over control of the deceased accounts, at this point, they don't and they won't.

Considering how much money we now spend in those subscriptions, I hope that will change...

[abend0c4]

Considering how much money we now spend in those subscriptions, I hope that will change...

Perhaps the most effective way to change it would not be to hand over significant sums of money in exchange for an ephemeral asset.

However, in reality, most of our purchases of physical media have always in practice been ephemeral too. Most households no longer have the means to play Edison cylinders, 9.5mm film, 78rpm records, laser discs, video cassettes or minidiscs. Even my old paperback books are starting to deteriorate. Even charity shops will turn away a lot of physical media for which there is no significant demand.

Having been an executor on a number of occasions, as I head through old age my priority is going to be to minimise the burden for those who have to clean up after me - not having unnecessary contracts and not burdening them with artefacts they probably don't want and will struggle to dispose of.

[graemep]

Books can last a long time. I have many that belonged to by grandfather, and some that are even older.

[Anonymous Coward]

I was executor for my father who had no digital footprint, but I was truly shocked at some of the subscriptions/rentals he had.

He had a BT contract for physical phone rental, as well as line rental. (The phone had stopped working years ago and I had replaced it without knowing of the rental.)

He had a commercial water contract for his little bungalow, etc.

Although the (fully paid up) life insurance his father took out on him in 1943 did pay out £90!

He died on 29 Jan and I got the final part of everything sorted on 5 Nov (council tax refund). I dread to think how long it might take for a Register reader's executor.

[J.G.Harston]

I sorted through my Mum's late husband's paperwork, and every time I thought I'd found everything, something else would pop up. A carrier bag of utility bills with a share certificate stuffed at the bottom. A bank statement used as a bookmark. Phone bills from the gas company, gas bills from the Co-op, electricity bills from the phone company. He seemed to treat suppliers like socks.

[MachDiamond]

"However, in reality, most of our purchases of physical media have always in practice been ephemeral too. Most households no longer have the means to play Edison cylinders, 9.5mm film, 78rpm records, laser discs, video cassettes or minidiscs. "

................ if you were to visit my museum of tech................... 9.5mm film? no. 8 or 16mm, yes.

[Doctor Syntax]

"I did make double sure my collection of Steam and GOG games would stay in the family."

Do your family actually want them or is it an encouragement to keep you alive as long as possible?

[lglethal]

Just curious...

A lot of the services state that they are non-transferrable. So a family member logging into takeover an account (even just to shut it down) could be construed as illegal activity.

In Japan, clearly you could point to this government memo that your just following government advice, but elsewhere?

I could absolutely imagine the likes of Facebook suing someone for cancelling a paid subscription from a dead relative. At least, if they thought they could get away with...

[Roland6]

Re: Just curious...

> I could absolutely imagine the likes of Facebook suing someone for cancelling a paid subscription from a dead relative. At least, if they thought they could get away with...

Whilst Facebook is a useful stalking horse, I suggest among the IT community it will be wise to sort out your cloud accounts eg. AWS. As these post death bills will legitimately go against the estate…

[MachDiamond]

Re: Just curious...

"A lot of the services state that they are non-transferrable. So a family member logging into takeover an account (even just to shut it down) could be construed as illegal activity."

Techincally it could be illegal, but I think a judge would throw out a case if you were logging in to terminate the account. The only other way to do that would be to get the bank to stop making the automatic payment. Good luck with that until it's ordered in probate court.

[I am David Jones]

Re: Just curious...

It cannot be said often enough, the mere fact that doing something goes against some T&Cs does not make it illegal! Despite what the companies would have you believe. And lots of T&Cs are not even enforceable in civil law.

That isn’t to say that you can do anything you like, ymmv, ianal etc etc

[MachDiamond]

Re: Just curious...

"And lots of T&Cs are not even enforceable in civil law."

Always pick your fights carefully. If you have to take something to court to find out that it IS unenforceable, you've lost anyway. A judge might also say that you agreed and while the clause was unusual, you were told and signed (or equivalent).

[Anonymous Coward]

Not just death access

Pretty sure that Apple now has a contact name that can be added to an iCloud account for access in time of death. Though don't know how it works in practice.

With fingerprint and faceID so common, unlocking kit gets trickier. People forget the password.

I look after a lot of elderly people and get them to use a simple address book to keep track of things. This also makes it more likely they will use unique passwords.

Death is not the only time this situation occurs. I have had clients who get dementia or have a stroke, and forget everything. One example case of a stroke it was very handy he had kept a spreadsheet of his account data as the wife could then carry on running the house. Otherwise she would have been locked out of her own house accounts at a very stressed time.

"Write it down" is against the "security practices". But when you are talking about people in their homes this is by far the safest option. Just keep the book safe and let loved ones know about it.

[Andy Non]

Re: Not just death access

"Write it down" is against the "security practices"

I've done this as my health isn't good. In the event of my death my wife has an envelope with a letter with a list of accounts and passwords. We've not been burgled yet, but would expect a burglar to be more interested in electronics and other valuables they could sell on, rather than rifle through piles of documents.

Back in the days before I retired I did a number of years contracting under my own limited company, an elderly local accountant handled all my paperwork and submissions to HMRC, companies house etc. However, he was getting a bit long in the tooth and started forgetting to submit documents on time. His assistant had a quiet word with me and suggested I changed accountant as his memory was starting to fail (dementia). I got a youthful new accountant in his 30's. This worked well for a few years (I was living in France at the time) then I got a letter out of the blue from bailiffs demanding payment of a fine to Companies House for non-submission of the year end accounts. Turned out my accountant in the UK, who was also my registered company address, had got struck down with terminal cancer and died taking all my financial details with him to the grave. I managed to scavenge some details from one of his USB sticks with the help of his widow, she was locked out of his pc, but had a hell of a job getting the figures sorted and dealing with Companies House etc. This was the final straw and I retired, having overdosed on red tape and bureaucracy.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not just death access

That reminds me of the accountant who had written all the passwords and details down due to terminal cancer. Then died two months earlier than expected.

She had forgotten to note down the rather important "login to the PC" password. And the main Sage Accounts password...

Took some imaginative work to get back into the system...

[FarnworthexPat]

Re: Not just death access

About three years ago my wife pestered me into documenting the household processes I normally handled (tax preparation, property taxes, utilities, etc) as she was concerned that she would be totally unaware of how to handle things should I die before her. I decided to take it a step further and try and document everything involving the household and finances both for her benefit and my daughters in the event both my wife and I died (we're in our seventies). It turned out to be a major project (and still is as one has to keep updating details). We keep almost all of our information electronically on our computers and Dropbox so access to it is a major pre-requisite. Access to many of the websites uses 2FA - tied to my phone - so including my wife's phone and my daughters (where possible) as an alternate was necessary. Apart from the obvious information on finances (bank accounts, credit cards, etc.) there are details on sources of income, inventory of household items for insurance purposes and the various insurance policies, details on the upgrades and renovations on the house, location of wills, power of attorney, living trust, and location of BMD certificates and historical family information. The list can seem to go on for ever but I'm hoping that if and when my wife and/or daughter have to handle my/our affairs it will be much easier than if there was no roadmap.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not just death access

"With fingerprint and faceID so common, unlocking kit gets trickier. "

Wouldn't that make it easier (unless it was something that caused damage to the face or fingers), as long as you do it before the body is disposed of?

[vtcodger]

Re: Not just death access

So, we're headed for an era where most every household has a shrine in the living room containing preserved body parts of deceased relatives for use in accessing their non-transferable accounts?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not just death access

You would just unlock the device disable biometric unlick and set the password to something you know. No need to keep any body parts.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Not just death access

> disable biometric unlick

Disabling unlick would mean - ooh, yuck.

> No need to keep any body parts

Um... that would make things trickier.

Shudder. But if it gets us access to the inheritance...

[Roland6]

Re: Not just death access

The last time I tried to change the password on a device with biometric unlock, (suspect it was a WinXP laptop) it asked for the current user password, because I had got into the habit of using the biometric unlock on that account…

[lglethal]

Re: Not just death access

I cant deny, I chuckled at the mental image I just had.

The whole family and friends are gathered in the chapel, solemn proceedings, the open casket is there, the priest is launching into the Eulogy.

Then arriving late and walking down the central aisle, comes a lawyer, phone in hand. He walks directly up to the coffin and starts pressing the phone against the dead man's hand. The priest falters.

The lawyer looks up "Dont mind me, I just need to unlock his phone to get access to his accounts."

The Priest stutters and indignant "Sir! This is a funeral!"

The wife raises her hand "No, no, it's fine. Better now, then that we have to dig him up after the funeral!".

There's a general round of nodding from the rest of the family.

A man in the middle rows, leans across to his wife and whispers "It's that damn Multi-Factor Authentication. It gets you every time!"

[iwi]

Re: Not just death access

https://www.livescience.com/62393-dead-fingerprint-unlock-phone.html

It might work, it might not. I've heard of funeral homes having policies on asking visitors/viewers NOT to try to unlock the deceased's phone in the viewing room.

[DS999]

Relying on a corpse to unlock a phone is a bad plan

The skin shrinks after death (that's why it looks like nails and hair grow a bit after death) which may affect the fingerprints, plus most modern sensors rely on some electrical conductance in the skin which is no longer present after death. For Face ID you have the similar shrinking which would mess up the even more sensitive facial mapping plus you have to have your eyes open which is a problem once you're in the casket - they will typically place contact lenses with little "teeth" in them to grab the eyelids so there is no risk of the eyes of the dead person opening their eyes if they are jostled.

Also unlocking with Face ID is only possible within a maximum of 48 hours (but sometimes less) since the last time the phone was unlocked. If you want someone to be able to get into your phone after you die, you gotta give them your phone's password (and update it if you change your password)

[Mentat74]

Why would I care about passwords ?

If I'm dead... it's not my problem anymore...

[I could be a dog really]

Re: Why would I care about passwords ?

So you really hate your relatives who will have to deal with this mess when you're gone (or become incapable - see above about having a stroke, getting dementia, etc.) ?

[Caver_Dave]

Re: Why would I care about passwords ?

That attitude immediately reminded me of an old parable.

When you are dead, everyone knows but you.

similarly

When you are stupid, everyone knows but you.

[MiguelC]

Re: Why would I care about passwords ?

I knew it as "Being stupid is like being dead, it's only painful for others."

[Valeyard]

deathbox

I have a "deathbox" which is a fireproof lockbox with my basic usernames and passwords (email etc) and then my bitwarden username and master password for everything else. All bundled up alongside will, insurance docs, a list of bills that are in my name that'd need changing etc just to reduce the admin in that first couple of weeks.

I've worked in too many banks and call centres as a younger man having to deal with stressed widows trying to untangle someone's life and being charged for months of subscriptions without realising they were active and trying to deal with getting those refunded etc and blundering through it all when they're not exactly in a decent frame of mind anyway

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: deathbox

This lockbox is located, where you say?

[Andy Non]

Re: deathbox

... and for security reasons, can you confirm your house number and post code please.

[MachDiamond]

Re: deathbox

" and for security reasons, can you confirm your house number and post code please."

Where "confirm" has been redefined to "tell me" rather than "is this correct".

[Andy Non]

Re: deathbox

I've noticed scam callers doing that to imply that they already know your address when they don't. Shifting the focus to the mark to prove they are the intended recipient and the focus away from the legitimacy of the scammer.

[MachDiamond]

Re: deathbox

"I've noticed scam callers doing that to imply that they already know your address when they don't. "

They might also hand you the info they do know and ask you to "confirm" the one missing piece they need to ruin your day.

[Sub 20 Pilot]

Re: deathbox

My response, when these arseholes have contacted me previously, was to tell them to fuck off then block the number. Now I give them a random postcode and house name and if they stay on the phone without questioning this,then I tell them to fuck off etc.

I have had conversations such as ''This is your bank, your account has strange activity and you need to confirm your login etc..'' My reponse - ''which bank and which account?'' then when they can't answer, tell them to f... etc.

Sometimes I will ask ''HSBC or Natwest?''Neither of which I have an account with and whatever the response, unless they say ''no we are XXXX which I DO have an account with, then tell them to f... etc.

If ithey say it is a bank I have an account with I ask them to give me details of two or more direct debits or payment I know I have made. If they won't I will tell them ..etc.

Worst case scenario, I assume, is that if there is a very faint chance that they sound genuine, then I would tell them that I will phone the bank back on a number printed on the back of it's associated account card. If they try to stop me doing this it is a scam so...

Same when they say ''your computer has a virus..., I ask them which one and what OS are they referring to as I have a number of differnt machnes and a variety of Linux and Windows boxes.

I am pretty certain that it is worth following this type of routine and never to deviate, whatever they say to keep you on that call. While not the stupidest or the brightest person in the world, I am well aware that we can all fall foul of scams if we are under stress so for me, this is my strategy. Would be good to hear what other people do.

Wish all honest people a good weekend and all scumbag scammers a painful death.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: deathbox

Yep, me too. Once had a scammer say "umm.... Chase Bank", then when I told them I didn't have an account there, they INSISTED I did.

When "Windows" would call, reporting a problem with my computer, I'd ask which computer. When they couldn't answer, I'd ask which OS. The only correct answers were Ubuntu, CentOS, and MacOS.

Can't think of the last time a bank really called me, but I imagine I'd follow a similar procedure - you called me, so you prove that you are who you say you are, otherwise I call the REAL number and report it as potential fraud.

[Valeyard]

Re: deathbox

i don't get why i'd tell you where it is?

the only person who could get their hands on it or know where it is is my wife and she could have my passwords if she asked anyway. if you're getting at what i think you are then i think if someone was robbing my house a slip of paper wouldn't get your average smackhead's attention with the usual electronics people have around being the headlines.

[Andy Non]

Re: deathbox

It's a joke, obviously you're not going to disclose such information.

[Valeyard]

Re: deathbox

oh yeah, i was replying to the guy above you though

[nobody who matters]

Re: deathbox

I think he may have been joking too ;)

[nobody who matters]

Re: deathbox

Oh dear, a downvote. Someone really doesn't have a sense of humour :(

[[e-mail]]

Re: deathbox

What happens when both of you die at the same time, in an accident for example?

[Andy Non]

Re: deathbox

I'm guessing that the executor of the will shuts down all bank accounts and credit cards by providing copies of the death certificates, so any subscriptions automatically terminate, any pushback and they'd be sent copies of the certificates too, any debt would be paid off from the estate. Having said that, Klarna are still pursuing someone who used to live at my address nearly a decade ago for a debt of £1k, he died long ago and we bought the house from his widow.

Any Facebook accounts etc would just be left in limbo, forever accessible.

When the Mrs and me got our joint will done, it was straightforward, the surviving partner gets everything. It becomes more complex for the scenario you describe, then you've got to consider what goes to what relative and what friend in more detail. Complex if you've got a big family.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: deathbox

I have a similar setup; my wife knows where the list of account numbers and the KeePass and computer logon passwords are, and a copy is in a sealed envelope in a safe at my chosen executor's. In the event we both go at the same time, the executor will be able to unlock my machines and KeePass, giving them full access.

[Roland6]

Re: deathbox

> the only person who could get their hands on it or know where it is is my wife…

Not a good forward thinking move…

Been through a couple deaths where the husband went before the wife, only problem they were the wife’s carer and the wife did not have the capacity to access husbands accounts, or be sufficiently aware of matters to appreciate that the computer gave access to sufficient funds that would have funded 10 years of 24x365 care…

It’s a bit like LPoA and Wills, you need to tell people who (typically a firm of solicitors) holds the LPoA and Will, so when you go a beneficiary can gain access. Without this, depending on actual location and thoroughness of the house clearance, the box will either be found by the house clearers so profit to them, or at some stage in the future by the new owners of the property…

[MachDiamond]

Re: deathbox

"I have a "deathbox" which is a fireproof lockbox with my basic usernames and passwords (email etc) and then my bitwarden username and master password for everything else."

Anything that looks like some sort of safe is a target. That's where you store some spare bricks and find a more clever spot to keep valuables. Having something fire resistant is a good idea, but just don't get something that looks like a safe with a lock on it. Put the documents in a big envelope and write "Appliance warranty paperwork" on the outside. Somebody would need to have a lot of time to rummage through your home looking for a list of pass codes that may or may not exist to find yours IF they aren't put in an obvious place.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: deathbox

Obligatory XKCD:

https://xkcd.com/916/

[david willis]

Keep a digital copy ?

Of course its Japan... so on a floppy disk ?

[Who-me]

You lot only just thought of this?

I’ve had a letter addressed to my next of kin explaining the master passwords locked in my filing cabinet, along with my other papers, for years now. The only key is on my person at all times.

Nothing wrong with writing it down so long as it's in a secure location. Security is one thing. Total paranoia freezing you out of taking necessary action is another.

[Anonymous Coward]

My hard-dump copy of my digital footprint - passwords, insurances, subscriptions is in a locked box in the attic and a copy in my brother's gun cabinet (just in case the house burns down). I also have revolving copies of discs with the family server backups in the same places.

Don't we all have something similar?

[iwi]

"Put your usernames and passwords in your will, advises Japan's government"

Not a good idea in UK. The will becomes a public document after the grant of probate in the UK. Stating your usernames and passwords in a public document is not a great idea. State your intentions over your digital assets by all means. But record the details needed to access to them outside the will in paper form in a firesafe and make sure your executor(s) know about them and how to find them.

[scottro]

After seeing my mom and both sister-in-laws go through this, (and being the tech in the family, having to get into the computers), I created a death paper for my wife. I run FreeBSD with dwm, so also made a little script, so that she can boot it into xfce4 and work with that adding to my death document, directories she should check if she can't find something. All the stupid stuff, like the link to pay cable and ConEd (we're in the US), and all the other stuff I could think of that she might need. Whether or not it is in the will, I think everyone should think about what happens if they suddenly pass away. Both my brothers passed very unexpectedly, so I realized that one can't really predict these things. It gives me a modicum of relief, knowing that if I go suddenly, at least she'll have an idea of what to do.

I think it's a very good idea, whether mandated by a government, or just your own common sense.

[Gene Cash]

"I'm Dead, Now What?"

That was a notebook I picked up a couple years ago. It's basically a moleskin with forms for all of the above info.

It even has helpful tabs, like "At the time of my passing", "Financial", "Key Contacts", "Passwords & Accounts", "My Dependents", "What to pay/close/cancel", "My pets", "My wishes"

It has sections like "If I'm unable to communicate, what I want my caregivers to know"

It's put out by Peter Pauper Press - "Fine books since 1928" - and designed by Margaret Rubiano

A **LOT** of work went into this book.

[Caver_Dave]

Re: "I'm Dead, Now What?"

In the UK we can write a "living will" in case we are incapacitated.

My father's had "do not resuscitate". It didn't stop the hospital ringing me at 2 a.m. to say they were performing CPR, but did get an apology and them stopping as soon as I pointed out that the forms were in his medical notes.

There is a (probably) standard form for the "living will" and some of the items you mention are on there e.g. pets, contacts and dependents.

He also had a copy in his fridge, in a labelled box, as Paramedics are supposed to look for such things.

For the things that you don't want sharing widely, then the book sounds good.

[MachDiamond]

The problem with putting it in a will

If you aten't dead, your Will can remain sealed. If you go missing, time could pass before you can be considered deceased. Depending on the circumstances of your death, there could be other factors. You were supposed to board that plane, but did you actually get on or are you still at your hotel with a bad case of food poisoning? Forensic examiners are still trying to verify everybody's remains.

The trouble is that as time passes, people that have opted for auto-pay will have another round of money deducted from their accounts. That might lead to an account running dry and the bank assessing loads of overdraft fees, insufficient funds fees, etc. Automatic shopping might mean an ever growing pile of packages accumulating somewhere. If it's on the doorstep, that tends to be self-regulating as somebody(s) will keep the accumulation from occurring past a certain point (usually no more than a day in a city environment).

It's more prudent to put the information someplace where it can be accessed by a trusted person. Getting access to somebody's computer and accounts will be very important with so many having gone "paperless" which used to make it easy to get information about utilities, loans, insurance, etc since at least once a month there would be some correspondence. I have a list with my mother and also the password to my computers with instructions on how she can pull up website passwords to log into my accounts and find any I may have signed up for in the mean time. There also instructions that run a script to delete files in a particular directory or two.

[Gently Benevolent]

Re: The problem with putting it in a will

>If you aten't dead

Well played!

[bill 27]

Gonna be expensive.

Every time a password ages out you're supposed to change it (you do change them regularly don't you). Then you get to amend, get notarized, and refile your will (possibly along with ancillary documents). Then again my executor had the audacity to kick the bucket before me...and the document(s) needs to be redone...soon as I find a Round Tuit.

As far as the lockbox goes...when they burglarized my house the hauled off my 4 lockboxes.

[Stork]

Re: Gonna be expensive.

Burglarized - of all Americanisms, I think this is the one that grates my ears most. Burglars burgle as far as I am concerned

[MachDiamond]

Re: Gonna be expensive.

"you do change them regularly don't you"

Why? Do you change the key to your house every two months?

I use strong passwords for my most important things that I don't use elsewhere. If I'm breached at some random website, let's say here, that logon/password won't work on anything of mine that's very important.

[Anonymous Coward]

Death or sudden disability, injury, trivial amnesia, dementia, all these life emergencies should be thought over beforehand. The entrusted people must have a plan of what to do and how to approach vulnerable data. I had some issues with my mom's virtual data when her dementia got worse. You know, old people are stubborn and do not always admit they have serious problems.