Preparing for incapacity: who manages your digital life if you cannot?

If you can no longer manage your digital life — hospital stay, accident, illness, loss of autonomy — your accounts, bills and subscriptions keep running without you. Preparing for incapacity means deciding in advance who may act, on what, and where the information is. The legal rules governing that delegation vary by jurisdiction.

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Why incapacity is a different problem from death

After a death, an estate opens and mechanisms exist: an executor, platform procedures, official paperwork. During incapacity none of that switches on. You are alive, the accounts are yours, and nobody automatically has the right to touch them.

It is usually the most urgent and least prepared situation: rent to pay, an insurance renewal, a bank email nobody can read, a subscription to pause, a locked phone nobody can open.

The six areas to prepare

Useful preparation fits on one page. It requires no complex procedure and can later be completed with the appropriate legal documents.

  • Accounts: which exist, which are critical, and which email address they are tied to.
  • Documents: where the contracts, policies, leases and statements a helper will need are kept.
  • Bills: what is charged automatically, from which account, on which date.
  • Subscriptions: what can be paused safely and what must not be.
  • Devices: how an authorized relative will be able to reach the phone and the computer.
  • Instructions: what you want done, written plainly, without jargon.

Trusted people: say who, and how far

Naming a trusted person in a tool like Solexi grants access to information, not legal powers. They can see what you filed and know what to do; they do not become your legal representative or the holder of your accounts.

Real legal delegation goes through documents defined by local law — power of attorney, protection mandate, guardianship, depending on the country. Those are prepared with a professional while you are still able to sign them.

Account access: what is acceptable and what is not

Handing your credentials to a relative “just in case” generally breaches the terms of service and weakens your accounts. The sound approach is to use official mechanisms: a password manager’s emergency access, joint accounts where relevant, banking powers of attorney, and the caregiver options some services offer.

Where no official mechanism exists, prepare the information instead: the list of accounts, the recovery email, and who to contact. An informed relative with a valid mandate gets far further than one holding a password they are not allowed to use.

When to involve a professional

As soon as a decision involves money, property or legal representation: a third party operating a bank account, selling an asset, signing on your behalf, medical decisions. A notary, lawyer, legal adviser or the relevant public body in your country.

Solexi does not operate in that field: the platform gathers and passes on information, it grants no power of representation.

What exists in Solexi today

Available today

  • Document vault reachable by the people you designate
  • Written instructions stored next to the matching documents
  • Distinct roles and access levels per person, changeable at any time
  • Export of your content

Planned / in development

  • Guided “in case of incapacity” template that takes a few minutes
  • Yearly 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

What happens if I can no longer manage my online accounts?

Nothing stops: charges continue, email piles up, and your accounts stay locked. Nobody automatically gains the right to step in — it takes either a mechanism the service itself provides, or a legal delegation valid in your jurisdiction.

Can I just give my passwords to my spouse?

It is not advisable: most terms of service forbid it and it weakens your accounts. Use a password manager’s emergency access, the powers of attorney your bank offers, and the caregiver options available on some services.

Does a power of attorney cover my digital accounts?

That depends on the country and on how the document is written. Some mandates and powers of attorney can include the management of digital assets, others do not. Ask the professional drafting it explicitly.

Where do I start if nothing is prepared?

With a single page: main email address, accounts that charge money, where the important documents are, and who should be contacted. Everything else can be added progressively.

Sources & Further Reading

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.

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