What Happens to Your Online Business Assets When You Die or Can't Work? Digital Succession Planning

What happens to your Instagram account, your domain name, your email list, your Shopify store, your YouTube channel, and your podcast when you die or when you're too sick or injured to run them? A few weeks ago I covered what happens to your trademarks and patents. Today is the part nobody in the legal world is talking about enough: the digital infrastructure of your business, and why short-term disability is actually harder to plan for than death. Your power of attorney probably isn't solving the problem you think it is. I walk through each category of digital business asset, what the platforms actually allow (and don't), and seven specific things you can do right now. TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 — The hospital scenario: not dead, just incapacitated for three weeks 02:44 — Why the legal system hasn't caught up to digital business (RUFADAA explained) 06:03 — The four problems: terms of service, access, continuity, authority 11:22 — SOCIAL MEDIA: 11:31 — YouTube, 12:48 — Instagram/Facebook, 13:59 — TikTok, LinkedIn, BlueSky, X, and Mastodon. 15:19 — CREATOR MONETIZATION: 16:03 — Patreon, Substack, 17:31 — Buy Me a Coffee and Ko-fi, 18:12 — OnlyFans, 19:37 — Medium, 20:10 — Twitch, 22:22 — Discord, 24:05 — WhatsApp and Telegram, Reddit, Snapchat, and Pinterest. 25:59 — DOMAIN NAMES AND WEBSITES: the expiration problem 28:09 — EMAIL LISTS: actually your most transferable asset 29:22 — ONLINE STORES: Shopify, Etsy, Amazon seller accounts 32:17 — PODCAST and revenue accounts 24:30 — Why disability is actually harder than death 26:00 — Seven things to do right now 31:00 — What's coming: the deeper resource 32:00 — Download the Digital Graveyard Prevention Kit Download the Digital Graveyard Prevention Kit (account inventory + action guide): https://kingpatentlaw.com/product/dig... Newsletter signup: https://kingpatentlaw.com/newsletter/ Avoid the legal horrors and keep rocking your IP. 💀🎸 📅 Ready to protect your brand and business? Book a consultation: https://kingpatentlaw.com/appointment... I help creators and small business owners with IP matters nationwide and with contracts in Illinois and Georgia. 📰 Sign up for the Avoid the Legal Horrors newsletter at kingpatentlaw.com @kingpatentlaw on social media (NOT X) DISCLAIMER: This information is for educational purposes only, is not legal advice, and does not form an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your specific situation, consult with a licensed attorney. This video contains attorney advertising material. Julie King | King Patent Law, PLLC | 301 N Neil St Ste 400, Champaign IL 61820. Phone number and email address available at kingpatentlaw.com. #DigitalAssets #EstatePlanning #OnlineBusiness #CreatorEconomy #SmallBusiness #IPLaw #BusinessContinuity #ContentCreator #DigitalPlanning #SocialMediaLaw