The vocabulary of legacy and estate planning, in plain language — no law degree required.
A person (sometimes named formally, sometimes just trusted informally) responsible for handling someone’s online accounts, digital files, and digital assets after they’ve passed — closing accounts, downloading photos, memorializing or deleting social profiles.
An informal, non-legal document that tells your family where things are and what you’d like done — account locations, who to call, funeral preferences. It complements a will; it doesn’t replace one.
Digital Legacy Vault →Not a legal document at all — a written expression of your values, hopes, and life lessons for the people you love. Sometimes called a "legacy letter."
Messages to Loved Ones →A person you designate (on some platforms, formally) to manage or memorialize your account after death — separate from an executor, who handles the estate as a whole.
A legal document stating your medical care preferences if you become unable to communicate them yourself — sometimes called a living will. Always drafted with an attorney or your state’s official form, not a generic template.
A personal letter written to a specific person — a spouse, child, or friend — meant to be read after you’re gone or during a difficult moment. Distinct from a formal letter of instruction.
Write a message →An online page — private or public — where friends and family can view photos, leave messages, and remember someone. Distinct from a social media memorialized profile, which is controlled by the platform, not the family.
Memorial Website →Everything that remains of a person online after they die — accounts, photos, messages, subscriptions — and the plan (or lack of one) for what happens to it.
Digital Legacy Vault →A legal document granting someone authority to act on your behalf — financial, medical, or both — while you’re alive but unable to act yourself. Ends at death, unlike a will.
The person legally named in a will to carry out its instructions — paying debts, distributing assets, closing the estate. Appointed by a court, not just informally chosen.
FinalKeepSake gives you one private place to organize the documents, wishes, and letters these terms describe — no legal jargon required to get started.
