03/28/2026
In today's digital age, it's crucial to include online accounts and social media profiles in your estate planning. Consider the following:
Designate a Legacy Contact for your Facebook account to manage your profile after your passing.
Provide instructions for your digital assets, including social media accounts, in your estate plan.
Understand the options for memorializing or deleting accounts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
With Facebook, estate planning means designating a Legacy Contact. In other words, you tell Facebook who should manage your account after your death (often a spouse, close friend, or family member). The Legacy Contact can monitor your profile by deleting or memorializing the account, accepting friend requests, pinning tribute posts, updating profile and cover photos, and more. However, a Legacy Contact cannot log in to the account to view private messages or remove past posts, photos, or friends.
Currently, you can only add a Facebook friend as a Legacy Contact. When you select a Legacy Contact, Facebook gives you the option to notify that person right away, which is recommended so that person is in the know about your wishes. To learn how to add a Legacy Contact, go to How Do I Manage a Memorialized Profile on Facebook? for some helpful tips.https://www.facebook.com/help/1070665206293088