Guide · Digital legacy
How to build a digital legacy vault
A digital legacy vault is one calm, secure place that holds the documents, accounts, wishes and memories the people you love would need if something happened to you. Done well, it replaces a frantic search through inboxes and drawers with a single, private handoff — exactly when it matters most.
What a digital legacy vault really is
It is not a password manager, and it is not a folder of scanned PDFs. A proper vault is structured around people — who needs what, when. It pairs your documents and credentials with clear, plain-language instructions so a partner, sibling, or executor can act without guessing, and without you having to be reachable.
What to include
Essential documents
Identity papers, your will, insurance policies, property deeds, mortgage and loan paperwork, tax records, and end-of-life wishes.
Accounts and access
Email, banking, cloud storage, subscriptions, and social profiles — with instructions for what should be closed, archived, or memorialised.
Memories and messages
Photos, voice notes, letters to the people you love, and the small stories you'd want remembered — not just the paperwork.
People and permissions
Guardians for minors, emergency contacts, executors, and the trusted few who should be notified — and when each of them should be reached.
Legal and privacy considerations
Privacy first, by design
Encrypt at rest, encrypt in transit, and keep sensitive fields readable only to the people you've explicitly nominated. A digital legacy vault should never trade convenience for exposure.
Jurisdiction matters
Will, probate and data-protection rules vary by country. Keep your vault aligned with where you live — and where your beneficiaries live — and revisit when life changes.
Plan for incapacity, not just death
Most families need a vault long before bereavement. Hospital stays, travel emergencies and short-term incapacity all benefit from the same calm handoff.
Keep it current
A vault that's six years out of date can do more harm than no vault at all. Build in gentle review reminders so contacts, accounts and wishes stay accurate.
Calm, not clinical
Most digital-legacy advice reads like an audit. Spreadsheets, checklists, worst-case language. That works for some people — and overwhelms most. My Life's Vault is built the other way around: Aria, our companion, asks one gentle question at a time, saves with your confirmation, and lets you build the vault in small, human moments instead of one daunting afternoon. The end result is the same calm handoff — without the clinical edge.
Start your vault in minutes
Create a private vault, invite the people who matter, and let Aria guide you through the essentials. You can pause and pick up whenever you like — nothing is ever shared without your permission.