How to Manage Digital Assets Upon Death

Digital Assets, Digital Footprints, and Your Legacy

In today’s world, much of our lives are lived online — from photos we share to the accounts we manage. That means we all leave behind two important parts of our digital presence: digital assets and a digital footprint. Understanding both is the first step in planning for your digital legacy.



Digital Assets

Digital assets are the valuable things you own online. These include:

  • Personal photos, videos, and writings.
  • Social media accounts, email accounts, online music such as iTunes, Spotify & pandora.
  • Accounting & Tax software accounts.
  • Online banking, investment, insurance, and retirement accounts as well as cryptocurrency, and financial tools.
  • Cloud storage accounts, websites, or digital business files.

Digital Footprint

A digital footprint is the trail of information you leave behind as you use the internet. It includes both the content you post (active footprint), and the data collected automatically (passive footprint), such as search history, cookies, and location tracking.

This is paragraph text. Click it or hit the Manage Text button to change the font, color, size, format, and more. To set up site-wide paragraph and title styles, go to Site Theme.

Why This Matters for Legacy Planning

Just like physical belongings, your digital presence doesn’t disappear when you’re gone. Without a plan, loved ones may struggle to access important files, manage social media accounts, or safeguard sensitive information. By taking steps to organize your digital assets and manage your footprint, you can:

  • Ensure family photos and memories are preserved.
  • Protect financial accounts and important documents.
  • Decide what happens to your online presence.
  • Provide peace of mind to loved ones during a difficult time.


At Cremation Society of SC – Westville Funerals, we believe modern funeral planning should include caring for both the tangible and digital parts of your life. That’s why we offer guidance and resources to help families think ahead about digital legacy planning — ensuring your story is honored, protected, and passed on with care.