Robertson & Associates is helping clients plan in the digital age. In a February, 2017, article in North Carolina Bar Association Estate Planning & Fiduciary Law Section newsletter entitled “New North Carolina Law Allows Fiduciaries Access to Digital Assets (But Only If…),” author Jean Gordon Carter addresses a quandary faced by users of social media and curators of online assets: what happens to all my stuff online if I die or suffer an accident?
While some online accounts, like Facebook and Twitter, have a legacy planning tool, many do not. To address accounts without legacy planning tools, North Carolina enacted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (Session Law 2016- 53). This new law gives weight to existing legacy planning tools and allows people to direct their fiduciaries to handle their online accounts in the event of their death or incapacity.
When clients consult with Robertson & Associates to develop or adjust an estate plan, they enjoy the option of addressing their social media and other online accounts by providing their powers of attorney and executors the power to access their digital assets. By addressing their online accounts and assets in an estate plan, clients are securing the future of their digital assets and providing for their continued use and enjoyment by their loved ones.