Original article published in July 2023. Updated May 2025. 

What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘digital assets?’ From email accounts and online banking to photos stored in the cloud and cryptocurrency wallets, our lives are increasingly lived—and managed—online. So, what happens to those assets when we pass on? In this article, we’ll break down what’s considered a digital asset, why it matters for your estate planning, and how to start taking inventory today.

What comes to mind when you hear the words ‘digital assets’? Bitcoin? Your Facebook account? Photos saved in the cloud?

If you asked a friend 10 years ago about their digital assets there’s a strong chance you would have been met with a blank stare.

And it’s no wonder. For centuries, assets were physical—homes, cars, heirlooms, safe deposit boxes. It’s only in the last few decades that our lives, and our valuables, have increasingly moved into the digital realm.

Even if you’ve never owned cryptocurrency or a piece of digital art, odds are you have several digital assets, and their value may be greater than you realize.

What Exactly Is a Digital Asset?

Let’s use a broad working definition:

“A digital asset is anything that is created and stored digitally, is identifiable and discoverable, and has or provides value.”

Considering that, there are several types of digital assets many people own:

1. Social Media Accounts – Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and X (formerly Twitter) profiles are digital assets, especially if they hold personal history, photos or a business presence.
2. Cloud Documents & Files – Word documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and slide decks saved to your computer or cloud storage—if there’s no printed version, they’re digital assets.
3. Digital Media & Creative Works – Photos, videos, blog posts, recorded webinars, and digital art you’ve created or stored online all qualify.
4. Loyalty Rewards & Points – Airline miles, hotel points, and retailer rewards have real-world value and are usually accessed digitally. Punch cards are out!
5. Email Accounts & Subscriptions – Gmail, Outlook, and even your logins for newsletters or streaming services are part of your digital footprint.

Why Digital Assets Matter for Estate Planning

If you were suddenly unavailable, whether due to illness or worse, would your loved ones know how to access your digital world? Most estate plans focus on tangible assets and may overlook digital ones altogether.

If your estate documents were written several years ago, they may not include guidance on who inherits your digital assets—or how to access them. Now is a great time to review your estate plan to ensure your wishes are clearly laid out. This includes sharing login credentials securely and discussing your intentions with family members and/or your executor—just like you would for a classic car or your great grandmother’s china. Use our worksheet to get started.

The Shiny New Object: Virtual Currencies

While most people have everyday digital assets like social media profiles or cloud-stored documents, you’ve most likely heard about higher-profile digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and their relatives.

Here are a few headline-making examples:

• Cryptocurrencies – A simplified way to think of these is as digital money stored in a digital wallet, with transactions captured on a digital ledger. Bitcoin and Ethereum are the biggest names, with new currencies or coins entering the space every year.
• Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) – NFTs represent ownership of a unique digital item, such as artwork or video clips, using blockchain authentication.
• Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) – These are digital versions of traditional currency issued by governments. While still in development in many countries, some like China and India have already rolled out pilot programs or early versions of a CBDC.

Are Stocks Considered Digital Assets?

This is a common question, and the answer is nuanced.

Publicly traded stocks, in the modern sense, are typically digitally recorded, but they are not generally classified as digital assets in the same way as cryptocurrency or social media accounts.

Here’s why:

• Stocks represent ownership in a company, and while your record of ownership is maintained digitally, the asset itself is still considered a financial asset, not a native digital asset.
• You don’t need a digital wallet to hold stocks; instead, regulated institutions like Schwab, Fidelity or others, hold them on your behalf.
• That said, your online brokerage account—including login credentials, portfolio allocations, and transaction history—is a part of your digital estate.

So, while stocks themselves aren’t considered digital assets in the purest sense, your ability to access, manage, and transfer them is entirely dependent on your digital footprint. That’s why including information on how to access your financial accounts, and ideally your financial planner’s contact information, in your estate plans is essential.

Get Started

As you can see, unless you’re intentionally living fully off the grid, chances are you already own several digital assets—whether it’s an online photo library, your social media presence, or an IRA account login. And just like your physical assets, these deserve thoughtful planning.

If reading this has sparked questions about how digital assets fit into your broader financial or estate plan, reach out to your financial planner. In addition, you can start taking stock of your digital footprint and ensure everything is clearly documented for the future by using our worksheet.