Questions, answered plainly.

Where your will and key papers live, and who should be able to reach them.

Where should I store my will?

Keep the signed original somewhere secure and findable — a fireproof home safe, your estate attorney's storage, or, where it is offered, the probate court. Whatever you choose, tell your executor and at least one other trusted person where it is, and keep a digital copy in a secure vault that can release it to the people you name when the time comes.Where to store a will: the safest places (and the worst) →

Who should have a copy of my will?

At a minimum, the executor you have named should know where the signed original is and be able to reach it. Many people also give a copy, or the location, to a spouse, an adult child, or another trusted person — so the document is never dependent on a single point of failure. The original carries the legal weight, so what matters most is that the right people can find it.

Should I keep my will in a safe deposit box?

A bank safe deposit box is fireproof and secure, but it has a serious weakness: in many states, a box is sealed after the owner's death until a legal representative can gain access, which can take weeks and may require a court order. That delay can slow down an estate at exactly the wrong time. If you do use one, make sure your executor knows which bank, which branch, and how to get in — and consider keeping a certified copy somewhere more immediately reachable.Safe deposit box for a will: the full picture →

Can I store my will online or digitally?

Yes — and for many people a secure digital copy is one of the most practical ways to make sure their will is findable. A general cloud drive works for the copy, though it cannot help with the release; a purpose-built digital vault goes further, letting you name the people who should receive your documents and releasing them after a verified confirmation that the time has come. Either way, the signed paper original still carries the most legal weight in most places, so keep that somewhere safe and reachable as well.Where to store a will: the safest places (and the worst) →

How your documents actually reach your family when the time comes.

How do my heirs get my documents when I die?

It depends entirely on where you kept them. If documents are scattered or behind a password no one has, heirs often face a long search and may need a court order to reach a sealed safe-deposit box. A purpose-built vault avoids that: you name the people who should receive each document in advance, and the service releases them after a verified confirmation that the time has come.How heirs get access to your documents — without a court order →

How does a digital vault know I've died?

A trustworthy vault does not guess. Rather than firing automatically when you stop logging in — which can misfire during a hospital stay or a long trip — a verified release asks trusted people you designated to confirm the time has come, and adds a waiting period during which a mistake can be undone. Legatus Vault uses exactly this multi-party, verified approach rather than a dead man's switch.How Legatus Vault works: store, designate, release →

What is a dead man's switch, and is it reliable?

A dead man's switch is an automated trigger that fires when you stop responding — for example, sending your files to designated contacts if you miss a periodic check-in. The idea is appealing, but the reliability is limited: a missed login during a hospital stay, a long holiday, or even a forgotten email can trigger the release prematurely and expose your most private documents to people who were not meant to have them yet. A more dependable approach — the one Legatus Vault uses — asks trusted people to confirm when the time has genuinely come, and holds for a waiting period before releasing anything.How Legatus Vault works: store, designate, release →

Can someone access my documents while I'm alive?

In Legatus Vault, only you can see your documents while you are alive and have not filed a claim. The people you designate as heirs or verifiers are named in advance but do not gain access to your vault contents until after a verified release — no one can read your will, your instructions, or your private files simply because you have named them. You remain in full control at all times, and you can add, remove, or change your designations whenever you choose.How Legatus Vault protects your documents →

What happens to my will if no one can find it?

If a genuine search turns up nothing, most courts treat the estate as though no will existed — the legal term is intestate — and state law decides who inherits, in a fixed order that may have nothing to do with your actual wishes. In some places, if a court can tell a will once existed but cannot find the signed original, it may presume the owner intentionally destroyed it. Keeping the original somewhere secure and telling the right people exactly where to find it is the simplest safeguard against this.What happens if your family can't find your will →

How a digital document vault compares to a lawyer's office, a cloud drive, or nothing at all.

Do I still need a lawyer if I use a document vault?

Yes. A document vault stores and delivers the documents you already have — it does not draft them, review them, or give legal advice. You still need a properly signed will and, depending on your situation, a trust, a power of attorney, and other documents prepared by a licensed attorney for your state. Think of the vault as the secure place where your lawyer's work lives, and the trusted messenger that hands it to the right people when the time comes.

Is a document vault the same as a will?

No. A will is a legal document that states your wishes for your estate — who receives what, who is in charge, and who cares for any minor children. A document vault is the secure place where you keep your will (and your other important papers) and the system that releases them to the right people when the time comes. One is the instruction; the other is the envelope that holds it and makes sure it is delivered.

What happens to my documents if the vault company shuts down?

That is one of the most important questions to ask before trusting any service with your most important papers. Legatus Vault makes a written commitment: you can export your complete archive at any time, and if we ever closed, your documents would be returned to you — never held hostage. We keep this promise in writing in our terms, and we encourage you to read it. When evaluating any vault, look for a clear, plain-language wind-down policy and the ability to export without restriction.How Legatus Vault protects your documents →

Is storing my will in Google Drive safe?

A well-secured Google Drive is safer than a filing cabinet that anyone can open, but it is not built for this purpose. The main gap is the hand-off: a cloud drive has no way to verify that the time has come and release the right documents to the right people — whoever has your password gets everything, and if the password dies with you, your family gets nothing. A purpose-built vault adds the piece a cloud drive cannot: a verified, controlled release to the people you have named, after confirmation that the time has genuinely arrived.Digital vault vs. safe deposit box: a full comparison →

Passwords, online accounts, and the parts of your life that live on a screen.

How do I pass on my passwords after I die?

The most reliable approach is a password manager that a trusted person can access — either by inheriting the master password through a secure channel, or through the emergency-access feature some managers offer. A written list kept in a secure vault works as a fallback, but it goes stale quickly and should be refreshed at least once a year. Whatever method you choose, the critical accounts to capture are your email and phone, because they are the keys to resetting almost everything else.Digital estate planning checklist →

Who can access my email or photos after I die?

In most cases, no one — unless you have made arrangements in advance. Major platforms treat accounts as personal and non-transferable; without a password or a formal legacy-contact designation, even a grieving family member cannot lawfully log in. A small number of services — including some email providers and social platforms — offer a designated legacy contact or an account memoralization process, but the details differ widely. The practical answer is to leave your trusted person the credentials or the path to them before you are gone.Digital estate planning checklist →

What happens to my crypto and online accounts when I die?

Cryptocurrency held in a self-custodied wallet is controlled by whoever holds the private key or seed phrase — if no one else has it, it is gone. Exchange-held crypto is subject to each platform's own estate policy, which varies and may require a death certificate and a court document. Online accounts that hold financial value — brokerage accounts, PayPal, and similar — are treated much like bank accounts and typically require formal estate documentation to transfer. The common thread is that none of this happens automatically: advance preparation, clear records, and access details left in a secure place are the only reliable safeguards.Digital estate planning checklist →

The first practical steps for putting your affairs in order and making things easy for the people you love.

What documents should I leave for my family?

At the core: a signed will, a durable power of attorney naming someone to manage your finances if you cannot, and a healthcare directive stating your medical wishes. Beyond the legal documents, a list of your accounts and policies, the contact details for your attorney and financial advisor, and a plain-language letter in your own words about your wishes are often what your family finds most valuable. Keeping all of it in one secure, findable place matters as much as having it.Digital estate planning checklist →

How do I tell my family where my documents are?

The simplest and most durable approach is to tell your executor directly — out loud, and in writing — where the signed originals live and what steps to take to reach them. Many people also leave a short letter of instruction with their will that lists key documents, account contacts, and where to find the digital copies. If you use a secure vault, naming your family members as designated recipients there means they do not have to remember what you told them years ago: the information reaches them automatically when the time comes.

What's the difference between an heir and a beneficiary?

An heir is someone legally entitled to inherit under state law when there is no will — typically a spouse, children, or other close relatives in an order the law sets out. A beneficiary is anyone you specifically name to receive something in a will, a trust, a life insurance policy, or a retirement account. The distinction matters because beneficiary designations on accounts and policies generally override your will, so keeping them current is one of the most consequential — and most overlooked — parts of estate planning.What is an heir — and how heirs differ from beneficiaries →