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📜 Digital Estate & Legacy Guide

Pre-Planning Your Own Digital Estate — A Gentle Checklist

Published October 2026 · Last verified October 2026

Set It Up While You CanEach company has a built-in tool you turn on yourself, once, ahead of time.Your own planApple Legacy ContactGoogle IAM planFacebook legacyManager accessIllustration — a schematic. Set-up screens differ; each takes only a few minutes.
A schematic overview — your set-up screens may look a little different, but the idea is the same.
A Calm ChecklistWork down it at your own pace — one box an evening is plenty.Take stockList youraccountsChoose peopleYour person,and a backupTurn on toolsApple, Google,FacebookStore & reviewKeep it safe,check yearlyIllustration — a schematic. The order is a suggestion; do one box at a time.A schematic of the plan — company steps vary; the order does not have to.
The plan as a short checklist you can work through a little at a time.

A calm, forward-looking checklist for getting your own online life in order, ahead of time. Set up Apple's Legacy Contact, Google's Inactive Account Manager, and Facebook's legacy contact, decide what to remember and what to close, choose your people, and review it once a year.

Bill Davis
Bill's Home Tech · Atwater, Ohio
Want the full deep-dive?
The Pre-Planning Your Own Digital Estate — A Gentle Checklist Guide
PDF · plain English · no ads · made by Bill
Cost
Free — no purchase needed
Time
Work through it at your own pace
Difficulty
Beginner-friendly · one step at a time
Bill's hotline
(330) 200-8042

A calm, forward-looking checklist for getting your own online life in order, ahead of time. Set up Apple's Legacy Contact, Google's Inactive Account Manager, and Facebook's legacy contact, decide what to remember and what to close, choose your people, and review it once a year.

What's inside this guide

The printable PDF walks through 36 short chapters, in plain language. It also includes an everyday cheat sheet and at-a-glance pictures.

  1. Your Whole Plan on One Page
  2. What 'Pre-Planning Your Digital Estate' Means
  3. Why Doing It Yourself, Early, Is a Gift
  4. Not Morbid, Just Organized
  5. Take Stock of Your Accounts
  6. Sorting Accounts Into What Matters
  7. Choosing Your Person, or People
  8. Naming a Backup
  9. Set Up Your Apple Legacy Contact
  10. Apple Legacy Contact, Step by Step
  11. Set Up Google Inactive Account Manager
  12. Google Inactive Account Manager, Step by Step
  13. Choose a Facebook Legacy Contact
  14. Facebook Legacy Contact, Step by Step
  15. Instagram and Other Social Accounts
  16. Emergency Access in Your Password Manager
  17. Decide for Each Account
  18. Walking Through Each Social Account
  19. Email, Banking, and Bills
  20. Your Photos and Memories
  21. Subscriptions That Keep Charging
  22. Your Phone and Computer
  23. Putting Your Wishes in Writing
  24. Where the Keys Live
  25. Storing the Whole Plan
  26. Telling the People Who Need to Know
  27. How This Fits Your Will
  28. A Once-a-Year Review
  29. What to Check Each Year
  30. Where to Go Deeper
  31. Planning Together
  32. Protecting Yourself While You Plan
  33. Questions People Ask
  34. The Quiet Reward
  35. If You Only Do Three Things
  36. Finish the Job Soon

Get the printable guide

Everything above is a quick summary. The full, printable guide — the same words, laid out to read and keep by the computer — is a free PDF.

Download the printable PDF →

Last verified October 2026. Information accurate as of October 25, 2026.

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Any prices or outside products mentioned in this guide can change over time — the details here were last checked August 2026 and this page is accurate as of October 18, 2026; please confirm current pricing before you buy. See how often we review our guides →