In this digital age the majority of us have multiple email accounts, social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, et al), do banking online, shop (Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Macy’s, et al), pay subscriptions (XFinity, Netflix, et al), have photo libraries, store important documents, and many, many similar, that require a unique account and password.
Have you ever wondered what happens when you become incapacitated or worse? What happens to your digital presence? 
Some providers will cancel your membership when you do not make an annual renewal. Much of your content will live on if your providers are not notified.
A ‘digital will’ determines the fate of your digital presence when you are incapacitated or worse. Here are important steps you can take today:
Take an inventory of your online accounts. Use your preferred tool (Word, Excel, etc.) to record the provider name, the website address, your account/password, any access PIN, any security questions that you defined when setting up your account, and any other relevant details/description of the service. Protect this file in a clearly designated area of your home computer (not your home screen where it can be seen by anyone) and share the location with a trusted beneficiary(s). Do not store this file on a protected space (Google Drive), unless you share that space with someone you trust, because no one will be able to access this file in an emergency.
Review the digital content you purchased. Credit card and airline points, shopping rewards, and similar digital assets are usually easy for an heir to access. Your music and video library maybe not so easy. Consider also the many apps you may have purchased for your various devices which are typically not transferable. Do not assume you own your digital content.
Delete unused accounts. Once you have an inventory of your accounts, take a moment to delete accounts you no longer use. Old shopping and social media accounts may still contain your financial and personal history and you do not want those subject to a hack. Some services, like Google and Facebook) provide a tool to export any data before you delete. Go through email accounts and delete those you no longer use. As email has evolved, and we’ve moved from AOL to Yahoo to Hotmail to Google, accounts become abandoned and sit idle. Accounts that are idle contain sensitive information and it is difficult to notice if an email account has been hacked. Do not take the risk. Delete unused accounts.
Designate a digital beneficiary. Many providers have a set of guidelines and procedures that can be followed once you become incapacitated. Google and Facebook, for example, allow you to designate someone who will be notified when your account has been inactive for a period of time. Google refers to this as an ‘Inactive Account Manager’ and you can learn more here: https://myaccount.google.com/inactive. Facebook refers to this as a ‘legacy account’ in order to memorialize a friend or relative.
Make your wishes known to your family. A ‘Digital Will’ determines the fate of your digital presence. Many providers have a set of guidelines and procedures that can be followed once you become incapacitated. These procedures may vary from site to site. A digital will lets your family know how you would like your digital presence preserved or deleted. 
Perhaps you have a collection of research projects/papers that you want to make sure end up in a library of your choosing. Or perhaps you want to leave instructions on how to distribute your photo library.
After completing these steps, update your information annually, and share your intentions with your family, a power of attorney or trusted friend. Reassure them this preparation is for everyone’s peace of mind just in case it is needed. Without instructions your family will be left to find all of your accounts, assuming they can find them all and gain access, and make these decisions alone.