The Simple Step Everyone Should Take: Naming a Legacy Contact on Your Mobile Phone

No matter how young or old you are—and even if you’re not ready to move forward with any formal estate planning—there’s one critical thing everyone should do before they die or become incapacitated: name a legacy contact on your mobile phone!

When I meet with clients to complete their estate planning documents, one of my final steps is to walk them through a summary outline. It’s essentially a recap of the critical things we discussed in our meetings. One of those steps is a reminder to add a legacy contact to their mobile phone. Think of it as the equivalent of naming a beneficiary on an investment or life insurance policy.

Why a Legacy Contact Matters

Here’s why it matters. Without a legacy contact, the phone companies won’t permit access to your phone’s contents after your death unless someone has the password. And technically, even if someone knows your password, they have no actual permission to access and use it. A legacy contact changes that. The person you name has permission to access the content after your death, even if they don’t know the password. They only need to produce a death certificate and their identification to gain access. Without a legacy contact, families face an uphill—and often losing—battle to reach your important content.

When I first started advising clients about the legacy contact, I offered it as a quick reminder to add it to their phones. But then I repeated that reminder with more and more clients. I quickly realized how critical this simple step really is. I also saw how many lives it has affected on a personal level. The more I advise clients on this task, the more stories I hear about how it has touched their own loved ones, or people they know.

Spread the Word

After hearing these stories, I now tell clients to spread the word about adding legacy contacts to their phones. I advise them to bring it up with loved ones, neighbors, and friends. It’s a critical topic that not many people even know exists. Hopefully, adding a legacy contact will become commonplace. In the meantime, my advice is simple. Whether or not you have an estate plan in place, at the very least, add a legacy contact to your mobile phone. It only takes a few minutes, and it can spare your family real heartache and unnecessary hassle.

Here are two links with more information on the topic. And if you want to know how to add your legacy contact, click the QR code below.

Apple:
 
How to add a Legacy Contact for your Apple ID
 

Android:
 
How to add a Legacy Contact for Android/Google