How do I plan for digital assets and cryptocurrency in my estate?

Digital assets need deliberate planning because they can vanish if no one can access them. Cryptocurrency held in a self-custody wallet is unrecoverable without the private keys or seed phrase – there's no customer service line to call, so countless coins are lost forever at death. Make an inventory of digital holdings: crypto wallets and exchanges, online bank and brokerage logins, email, cloud storage, domains, loyalty points, and any income-producing accounts. Store access instructions securely (a password manager with an emergency contact, or sealed instructions with your estate documents) – never put passwords or seed phrases in your will, which becomes public record. Name a digital executor and grant legal authority through your will or trust so they can act under state digital-asset laws. For crypto, also note that heirs receive a stepped-up basis at your death, just like other property. See wealthserene.com/assessments/estate-readiness.