How to prepare your digital life for your family
Preparing your digital life takes neither a whole weekend nor technical skill. In six steps, taken one at a time, you move from a situation where your family would not know where to start, to one where they know what to look for, where it is, and who to ask.
Step 1 — Inventory what actually matters
Do not try to list every account: you will give up. List the ones whose loss would cause a real problem.
A simple test: if this account became unreachable tomorrow, would someone lose money, a document, or an irreplaceable memory? If not, it does not belong on the list.
- The main email address, which resets access to everything else.
- Banking, insurance and investment accounts.
- Recurring subscriptions that charge automatically.
- Storage holding photos or videos with no local copy.
- Work or business accounts, if you have any.
Step 2 — Secure access without handing it over
A password manager is the only correct home for credentials. Most offer an emergency access feature that lets a designated person obtain access after a waiting period you choose.
Also check where your two-factor codes arrive: if everything routes through one phone, losing that phone locks everything else.
Step 3 — Gather the essential documents
The documents a relative will have to produce are few and always the same: identity papers, insurance contracts, property deeds, banking details, notary or lawyer contact information.
Scan them once, store them in an encrypted space, and note for each one where the paper original is kept. That last detail is almost always the missing piece.
Step 4 — Write your wishes in plain language
For each important account, one decision is enough: keep, pass on to someone, or close. One sentence per account, no legal phrasing.
This document carries no legal force on its own — it guides your family. Decisions with legal effect belong in a will drafted with a notary or lawyer.
Step 5 — Decide who may reach what
One person for everything is fragile; ten people for everything is risky. The right granularity usually separates administrative documents from family memories.
The most frequently forgotten step: tell the people concerned. A designation nobody knows about is worthless.
Step 6 — Review once a year
A frozen plan becomes wrong within eighteen months: new bank, new phone, new subscription, family change.
Pin it to a recurring date — a birthday, a tax filing — and reread the list in fifteen minutes. A short regular review beats an annual overhaul that never happens.
What exists in Solexi today
Available today
- Vault for scanned essential documents
- A dedicated space for family memories
- Trusted-person designation with differentiated access
- A written record of your wishes
Planned / in development
- Guided online-account inventory assistant
- Annual review reminders
Pricing, in plain words
- 14 days free, 1 GB included during the trial
- Then CAD $199, one time only
- Lifetime access, 10 GB included
- No monthly subscription, no renewal
Frequently asked questions
How long does this take?
Steps 1, 3 and 4 cover the essentials in one to two hours. The rest can be spread out: an incomplete plan that exists beats a perfect plan never started.
Should I write my passwords into the document?
No. Passwords stay in a dedicated manager. Your document records which accounts exist and what you want done, not how to log in.
Do I need to tell my family?
Yes, at least the people you designate. You do not have to detail the contents — they simply need to know a plan exists and where to find it.
Does this replace a will?
No. It is practical preparation that complements a will. Solexi replaces neither a notary nor a lawyer.
Last reviewed : 2026-08-21
Solexi does not replace a legal will, a notary or a lawyer. Solexi helps you gather, organize and pass on your information.