Digital assets often forgotten during estate planning
August 30, 2012
News & Observer - Gerry Beyer, a Texas Tech University law professor who writes about estate-planning issues, said even if a person gives a power of attorney to an agent to access their digital assets, that doesn't mean that the bank, social media site or email service will accept that authority. It might take a court-appointed guardian to get access to the records, he said. One reason: The agent's authority typically ends when the person whose records are being sought dies, he said.
As Lake Forest, Ill., economist Mike Moebs planned for his marriage last year, his lawyer pressed him for a complete list of assets.
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Gerry Beyer, a Texas Tech University law professor who writes about estate-planning issues, said even if a person gives a power of attorney to an agent to access their digital assets, that doesn't mean that the bank, social media site or email service will accept that authority. It might take a court-appointed guardian to get access to the records, he said. One reason: The agent's authority typically ends when the person whose records are being sought dies, he said.