Standards
The Digital Estate Planning Institute publishes and maintains the professional standards governing the identification, protection, transfer, and administration of digital assets. These standards define the legal, technical, security, and fiduciary competencies required to responsibly serve individuals and families whose lives are increasingly conducted online. They are designed to support practitioners in delivering plans that remain functional during incapacity, death, and estate settlement, and will continue to evolve alongside technology, law, and digital behavior.
v1.0 – February, 2026
These standards are intended to inform professional practice and do not replace independent legal judgment.
1. Client-Centered Design
Digital estate planning must be understandable, actionable, and durable for clients, fiduciaries, and beneficiaries across time and geography.
2. Security and Privacy
Professionals must employ administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity and longevity of data digital assets.
3. Legal & Tax Alignment
Planning strategies must align with applicable fiduciary law, relevant tax regimes, evolving statutory frameworks, and documented client intent.
4. Technical Competence
Practitioners must demonstrate knowledge of digital asset architectures, including authentication, cryptographic control models, secure storage practices, delegated access tools, and the operational risks associated with loss, compromise, or technological obsolescence.
5. Continuity and Transferability
Plans must be structured to function under real-world conditions, including incapacity, death, and estate administration.
6. Professional Responsibility
Professionals are responsible for designing plans that preserve client intent, protect privacy, and enable fiduciaries to administer digital assets with clarity and legal authority.
7. Interoperability
Digital estate planning should coordinate with broader legal, financial, platform, and advisory structures rather than operate in isolation.
The Institute welcomes informed input from practitioners, academics, and industry participants as these standards mature.