Digital Assets Legal Services: A 6-Step CA Guide

You’ve likely spent years building your portfolio of real estate and retirement funds. But what about the wealth that exists only online? I’m talking about your cryptocurrency, your E*TRADE account, and even the money in your Venmo or Cash App. These digital assets are often forgotten in traditional estate planning.

Without a clear plan, they can be lost forever—locked behind passwords your family cannot access. A will alone isn’t enough to get them back. This is where specialized digital assets legal services become essential, creating a bridge between your legal wishes and your online accounts.

Ready to protect your digital wealth? Schedule a strategy session with Lawvex today.

This guide walks you through everything California homeowners and business owners need to know about digital assets estate planning, including how California law handles fiduciary access, what types of assets are most at risk, and the concrete steps you can take right now to make sure your family can access and inherit what you have built.

What Exactly Is a Digital Asset?

A digital asset is any electronically stored information or online account that has value — financial, sentimental, or practical. The category is broader than most people realize.

• Cryptocurrency and digital currency — Bitcoin, Ethereum, stablecoins, NFTs, and tokens held in hardware wallets or exchange accounts (Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, etc.)
• Online financial accounts — PayPal, Venmo, Cash App, Robinhood, E*TRADE, and similar platforms where cash balances accumulate
• Domain names and websites — Business domains registered through GoDaddy, Namecheap, or similar registrars, often worth thousands to tens of thousands of dollars
• Digital storefronts and revenue-generating content — Amazon seller accounts, Etsy shops, YouTube channels with AdSense income, Substack newsletters
• Cloud storage and intellectual property — Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud, creative files, proprietary software, and business records
• Social media and email accounts — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Gmail — accounts that may hold business contacts, contracts, or communications
• Loyalty programs and reward points — airline miles, hotel points, and retailer rewards that often represent thousands of dollars in value
• Online gaming assets — virtual currency, rare items, and accounts in games where in-game purchases can total significant sums

The common thread is that all of these assets exist in accounts or systems controlled by third parties — and those third parties have their own rules about what happens when an account holder dies.

Distinguishing from “Digital Asset Holdings”

When you begin looking into digital asset planning, you’ll likely come across the name “Digital Asset Holdings.” It’s easy to get confused, so let’s clear this up right away. This is a specific financial technology company based in New York, not a general category of assets. Digital Asset Holdings focuses on using complex Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to create solutions for large banks and financial institutions. Think of them as working on the high-level plumbing of the global financial system. Their work is fascinating but completely separate from the personal digital footprint you’re looking to protect for your family.

When we discuss digital assets in the context of your estate plan, we’re talking about the online accounts and electronic files that belong to you personally. This includes your cryptocurrency, PayPal balance, business domain name, social media accounts, and even the precious family photos stored in the cloud. These are the items that carry both financial and deep sentimental value. The purpose of planning is to ensure your family can actually access and manage these assets, bypassing the restrictive terms of service that often lock accounts after a death. It’s about making sure your digital legacy is secure.

Why Your Will Might Not Cover Your Digital Life

A will or revocable living trust drafted five or ten years ago almost certainly does not address digital assets. Even if it does, there are three structural problems that a simple bequest cannot solve.

The Password Problem: A Barrier for Your Heirs

Your family cannot access what they cannot log into. A cryptocurrency wallet with a forgotten or undisclosed seed phrase is effectively gone forever — blockchain transactions are irreversible and no one holds a master key. Exchange accounts, brokerage platforms, and financial apps require authentication credentials your heirs do not have. A will naming your daughter as beneficiary of your crypto holdings means nothing if she cannot prove ownership or access the wallet.

When “Terms of Service” Can Trump Your Will

Most online platforms include non-transferability clauses in their terms of service. Your Facebook account, for example, cannot legally be “inherited” by a family member who logs in using your password — doing so may violate federal computer access laws and the platform’s terms. Instagram has specific legacy contact policies. Gmail has an Inactive Account Manager option that must be set up in advance. Without planning, your family may find themselves locked out or dealing with accounts that simply vanish.

Why Probate Fails to Cover Your Digital Footprint

California probate courts can order the transfer of real property and financial accounts held at California-regulated institutions. They have much less leverage over accounts at technology platforms, foreign cryptocurrency exchanges, and decentralized networks. Even a court order to a foreign exchange may be unenforceable, and no court can recover a private key that was never written down.

Don’t leave your digital estate to chance. Talk to a Lawvex attorney about building a complete plan that covers all your assets.

The Broad Scope of Digital Asset Legal Services

The world of digital assets is vast, and so is the legal framework surrounding it. While our focus at Lawvex is on ensuring these assets are seamlessly integrated into your estate plan and business succession strategy, it’s helpful to understand the broader legal landscape. Digital asset law isn’t a single practice area; it’s a complex field that includes corporate law, litigation, intellectual property, and tax law. Different legal specialists handle everything from helping a tech startup launch a new token to recovering cryptocurrency in a bankruptcy case. Understanding this scope helps clarify why specific, focused planning for your own digital wealth is so critical for protecting your family and your legacy.

Corporate and Business-Focused Legal Services

For entrepreneurs and business owners in California, digital assets can represent both a new frontier for growth and a maze of legal requirements. Whether you’re exploring accepting crypto payments at your Clovis storefront or building a business on blockchain technology, specialized corporate legal services are essential for building a solid foundation. These services help businesses operate confidently and legally in a rapidly changing environment, addressing everything from initial company formation to complex digital transactions. This proactive legal support is fundamental to long-term success and stability.

Regulatory Compliance and Licensing

The rules governing digital assets are constantly evolving. Attorneys who specialize in this area help businesses understand and comply with state and federal regulations, which can include money transmitter laws and SEC guidelines. This ensures the company can operate without facing unexpected fines or legal challenges down the road.

Business Transactions and Product Launches

When a company wants to launch a new digital product, like an NFT collection or a decentralized application, lawyers are needed to structure the transaction. They draft the agreements and disclosures necessary to protect the business and its customers, helping to manage risk while bringing an innovative idea to market.

Litigation, Asset Recovery, and Investigations

Given the high stakes and anonymous nature of some digital transactions, disputes are unfortunately common. This area of law focuses on what happens when things go wrong, from defending against a government inquiry to clawing back stolen assets. When a conflict arises, having an attorney who understands the technical and legal nuances of blockchain technology is crucial. They are the ones who step in to represent individuals and companies in court, during arbitrations, or in negotiations to resolve complex digital asset disputes.

Defending Against Lawsuits and Inquiries

Individuals and companies in the digital asset space can face lawsuits from private parties or investigations from government agencies. Litigation attorneys with experience in cryptocurrency and blockchain defend clients in these high-stakes legal battles, protecting their rights and assets throughout the process.

Assistance in Bankruptcy and Restructuring

The crypto market can be volatile. When a digital asset company faces financial distress or bankruptcy, specialized lawyers are brought in to help. A key part of their job is tracing and recovering digital assets, which can be a highly technical process, to ensure creditors and stakeholders get back as much as possible.

Intellectual Property and Tax Law

Beyond corporate structures and disputes, digital assets involve two other critical legal areas: protecting the underlying ideas and ensuring compliance with tax obligations. For creators, innovators, and investors, these issues are paramount. Intellectual property law safeguards the value of a digital creation, while tax law ensures that gains are reported correctly to avoid costly penalties. Both are essential components of a comprehensive business planning strategy for anyone operating in the digital economy.

Protecting Blockchain Innovations and NFTs

Intellectual property (IP) lawyers help protect the novel ideas behind digital assets. This can involve filing patents for new blockchain technologies or advising artists on how to handle copyright for their NFTs. This legal protection is what allows creators and inventors to own and profit from their digital work.

Advising on Tax Implications and Policy

Every time you sell, trade, or even use cryptocurrency to buy something, it can trigger a taxable event. Tax attorneys advise clients on the tax consequences of their digital asset transactions. This guidance is vital for proper reporting and planning, helping you avoid a surprise bill from the IRS and ensuring your estate plan accurately reflects your tax liabilities.

California’s RUFADAA Law: What It Covers (and What It Misses)

California enacted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) in 2016, codified in Probate Code sections 870-884. This law gives fiduciaries — trustees, executors, agents under a power of attorney, and conservators — legal authority to access certain digital assets and electronic communications on your behalf.

Here is how the hierarchy works under California law:

1. Online tool directives take priority. If a platform offers a legacy contact or inactive account manager tool (Facebook Legacy Contact, Google Inactive Account Manager), your selection on that platform controls — even over a will or trust.
2. Estate planning documents come next. If no online tool directive exists, your will, trust, or power of attorney can grant fiduciary access to digital assets. For this to be effective, the document must explicitly authorize digital asset access.
3. Platform terms of service apply last. If you have not used an online tool and have not authorized access in your estate planning documents, the platform’s own terms govern what happens.

RUFADAA provides a framework, but it does not create access where platforms refuse to recognize it, and it does not solve the password problem. It is a legal authorization tool, not a technical access tool. Practical planning requires both.

Cryptocurrency Estate Planning: It’s Not Like Other Assets

Cryptocurrency poses unique challenges compared to other digital assets because of how ownership works. No bank holds your Bitcoin on your behalf — your wealth is secured by a private key (or a 12-24 word seed phrase), and whoever has that key controls the funds. There is no account recovery, no password reset, and no customer service department to call.

Who Holds Your Keys? Exchanges vs. Self-Custody Wallets

Cryptocurrency held on a regulated exchange (Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini) is somewhat easier to plan around. These companies are California-registered or compliant with California money transmission laws, hold assets in custodial accounts, and have death claim processes similar to a brokerage. You can typically designate beneficiaries or instruct your executor to file a claim with documentation.

Self-custody wallets — hardware wallets (Ledger, Trezor) and software wallets where you hold your own private key — are a different matter. If your heirs do not have the seed phrase, the wallet is inaccessible. These assets should be treated like a combination to a safe: the information must be stored securely and communicated to the right people through your estate plan.

Custodial Wallets: Convenience vs. Control

When you use a custodial wallet, you’re trusting a third party—usually a cryptocurrency exchange like Coinbase or Kraken—to hold your private keys for you. This is much like how a bank holds your cash. The exchange manages the security, and if you forget your password, there’s an account recovery process. This convenience, however, comes at the cost of control. Because a company holds your private keys, your assets could be at risk if the platform is hacked or goes bankrupt. From an estate planning perspective, this structure can be simpler for your heirs, as there’s a company they can contact to make a death claim. Still, it’s crucial to understand that you’re placing your trust in that company’s long-term stability and security.

Non-Custodial Wallets: Sovereignty and Responsibility

A non-custodial wallet puts you in complete control. With hardware wallets like Ledger or software wallets like MetaMask, you and only you hold the private keys. You are your own bank. This gives you ultimate sovereignty over your assets, protecting you from exchange failures or freezes. But this freedom comes with immense responsibility. If you lose your private key or the secret recovery phrase, your crypto is gone forever. There is no “forgot password” link and no customer service to call. This is why integrating non-custodial assets into your estate plan is so critical. Your plan must include a secure, foolproof method for your trustee to access the recovery phrase. At Lawvex, we help clients in Clovis, Madera, and Solvang design these secure instructions as part of a comprehensive estate plan, ensuring your digital wealth is protected for your loved ones.

Securing Your Cryptocurrency Within a Trust

For California residents with significant crypto holdings, placing those assets in a revocable living trust is the cleanest planning option. You can:

• Fund the trust with exchange-held cryptocurrency by working with the exchange to re-title the account in the trust’s name
• Document seed phrases and private key instructions in a sealed letter of instruction held by your trustee or estate attorney
• Name a successor trustee with the technical knowledge to manage crypto assets, or grant authority to hire a professional custodian

Lawvex has experience helping California clients structure cryptocurrency into their estate plans in a way that is legally sound and practically accessible to successors.

Advanced Security Practices for Self-Custody

For those who choose the sovereignty of self-custody, security is everything. Simply buying a hardware wallet isn’t enough; you need a strategy to protect it from failure, theft, or loss. These advanced practices are essential for anyone serious about protecting their crypto assets for the long term and ensuring they can be passed on. Think of this as building a digital fortress—it requires more than just a lock on the door. It’s about creating redundancies and clear instructions that are integrated into your overall estate plan, a process we guide clients through in Central California, including Clovis, Madera, and Solvang.

Splitting Assets Across Multiple Hardware Wallets

A core principle of risk management is diversification, and this applies to your storage methods, not just your investments. Storing a significant amount of cryptocurrency on a single hardware wallet creates a single point of failure. If that device is lost, stolen, or damaged, you face a stressful recovery process. A smarter approach is to split your holdings across multiple hardware wallets. You might use one wallet for smaller, more frequent transactions—like a digital checking account—and keep the bulk of your assets on a separate wallet that is stored securely and rarely accessed, similar to a long-term savings vault. This strategy minimizes potential losses from a single security breach and is a key component of a robust cryptocurrency estate plan.

Creating Durable Backups for Seed Phrases

Your seed phrase is the master key to your cryptocurrency. If you lose it, your assets are gone forever. Writing it on a piece of paper that gets lost or destroyed in a fire is a recipe for disaster. To create a truly durable backup, you should etch your seed phrase onto a fireproof and waterproof material, like a steel plate. Better yet, create multiple durable backups and store them in geographically separate, secure locations—such as a home safe and a bank safe deposit box. As part of your estate plan, you must also create a secure method for your trustee or executor to access these backups without exposing them to risk during your lifetime. This ensures your family can actually recover the assets you’ve left for them.

Your Step-by-Step Guide to Protecting Digital Assets in California

A practical digital asset estate plan has three parts: a legal framework, a secure inventory, and access instructions your fiduciary can actually use.

Step 1: Create or Update Your Revocable Living Trust

A revocable living trust is the most efficient vehicle for transferring digital assets in California. Unlike a will, a trust does not go through probate — assets pass directly to your named successor trustee and then to your beneficiaries according to your instructions. Your trust document should explicitly include language authorizing your successor trustee to:

• Access, manage, and transfer digital assets including cryptocurrency, online accounts, and domain names
• Engage third-party technical assistance to recover or access digital accounts
• Make decisions about account continuation, memorialization, or closure

Step 2: Add Digital Asset Language to Your Power of Attorney

If you become incapacitated before death, your agent under a durable power of attorney needs legal authority to manage your digital accounts. Standard POA forms often do not include this language. A California attorney can draft a RUFADAA-compliant POA that specifically grants your agent digital asset access rights.

Step 3: Take Inventory of Your Digital Assets

A legal authorization means nothing if your successor trustee or executor does not know what accounts exist. Create a comprehensive inventory that includes:

• Every financial app and online account, including the platform name, username, and approximate value
• Cryptocurrency holdings: exchange accounts and wallet addresses
• Domain names and hosting accounts with registrar information
• Revenue-generating accounts (Etsy, Amazon, YouTube) with estimated monthly income
• Cloud storage accounts with links to important files

This inventory should be stored securely — not in a cloud service your family may not be able to access, but in a physical document, a password manager with shared access, or a sealed envelope held by your attorney. Update it annually.

Step 4: Plan for Securely Sharing Access Credentials

Inventory and authorization together are not enough. Your trustee or executor also needs a way to actually log in. Options include:

• Password manager with emergency access. Services like 1Password and Bitwarden offer emergency access features that allow a designated person to request access after a waiting period. Set this up and name your successor trustee.
• Sealed letter of instruction. A physical document held by your estate attorney or in a fireproof safe containing master passwords, seed phrases, and two-factor authentication backup codes. Review and update this annually.
• Hardware security key with documented backup codes. If you use two-factor authentication (which you should), document the backup recovery codes for each account.

Need a Drama Free plan for your digital assets? Lawvex offers fixed-fee estate planning that covers your complete picture — online and offline.

Step 5: Activate Platform-Specific Legacy Tools

Under RUFADAA, your designations on platform legacy tools override your estate planning documents. Take advantage of these tools for accounts where they exist:

• Google: Set up Inactive Account Manager at myaccount.google.com
• Facebook/Instagram: Designate a Legacy Contact in your account settings
• Apple: Add a Digital Legacy Contact in your Apple ID settings
• Twitter/X: No legacy tool exists — address through your estate plan documents
• Coinbase: Name account beneficiaries through their beneficiary designation tool

Step 6: Specify Your Wishes for Each Account

Not every digital account should simply be transferred. Think through what you want for each category:

• Financial accounts with cash value: Transfer to beneficiaries or liquidate and distribute
• Revenue-generating businesses: Continue operating under successor management, sell, or wind down
• Social media: Memorialize, delete, or allow family to manage
• Email: Archive and provide access to executor, then delete
• Personal photos and documents: Distribute copies to family members, preserve in family archive

These decisions should be documented in a letter of instruction alongside your trust — a non-binding but practical guide your successor trustee can follow.

Common Mistakes That Cost Families Their Digital Assets

The attorneys at Lawvex regularly see the same avoidable mistakes when California families come to us after losing a loved one without adequate digital planning.

Thinking a Will Is All You Need

A will goes through probate, which means public court proceedings and months of delay before your executor has any legal authority. Even then, probate courts struggle to enforce orders against technology platforms. A trust-based plan with explicit digital asset language avoids this entirely. See our guide to what to include in a will for context on what wills can and cannot accomplish.

Losing Crypto by Not Documenting Seed Phrases

The most common cryptocurrency estate planning failure is undocumented private keys. One California family recently discovered their loved one had held $400,000 in Bitcoin — and had not written down or stored the seed phrase anywhere. That wealth is permanently inaccessible. If you hold self-custody crypto, document the seed phrase today.

Creating a Digital Lockbox Without a Key

A password manager is smart security planning for your lifetime. If you die and your family cannot log into the password manager itself, it becomes a vault they cannot open. Always set up emergency access designations or document the master password through a secure physical method.

Forgetting to Update Your Plan as Assets Change

Estate plans drafted in 2018 or 2019 predate most people’s significant crypto holdings and the explosion of financial apps. Your plan should be reviewed whenever your digital holdings materially change — whether you open a new exchange account, launch an e-commerce business, or acquire valuable domain names.

Finding the Right Expertise for Your Digital Assets

The world of digital assets is complex and constantly changing, which means the legal landscape surrounding it is also in flux. When it comes to protecting your online wealth, you can’t just hand this task off to any attorney. General practitioners who are experts in traditional estate planning may not understand the technical nuances of cryptocurrency or the specific terms of service that govern your online accounts. Finding a legal partner with the right blend of technical knowledge and estate planning focus is the single most important step you can take to ensure your digital legacy is secure for your family.

The Value of Specialized Experience

Major law firms that serve large corporations have entire teams dedicated to digital assets and blockchain technology. They do this because the field is incredibly specialized, combining elements of technology, finance, and international law. While you don’t need a massive corporate firm, this trend signals that digital asset planning requires more than a surface-level understanding. An attorney who has experience with these assets knows the right questions to ask, understands the difference between a custodial and non-custodial wallet, and is up-to-date on the latest regulations that could impact your holdings. This specialized experience is what separates a plan that looks good on paper from one that actually works when your family needs it most.

Lawyers with Technical and Regulatory Backgrounds

The ideal legal expert for your digital assets has a foot in two worlds: law and technology. They need to understand the legal frameworks like California’s RUFADAA, but they also need to grasp the underlying technology. For example, they should know that a blockchain transaction is irreversible and that a private key is the only thing that proves ownership of self-custodied crypto. This technical fluency is critical for creating practical access instructions for your trustee. A lawyer who understands both the legal requirements and the technical realities can help you build a robust plan that addresses everything from password management to the specific death claim processes of different cryptocurrency exchanges.

Traditional Firms vs. Alternative Legal Models

When you start looking for legal help, you’ll find a few different types of providers. On one end, you have large, traditional law firms that often focus on corporate clients, helping them with things like regulatory compliance for new blockchain products or business transactions. On the other end, you have alternative models that connect businesses with freelance lawyers for project-based work. While these options highlight how specialized this field has become, they aren’t always the right fit for individuals and families. A corporate firm might not have the personal, compassionate approach needed for estate planning, and a freelance lawyer may not offer the long-term relationship required to keep your plan updated.

For most California homeowners and business owners, the best fit is a firm that combines deep expertise with a focus on personal estate planning. You need a team that understands your specific goals for your family and can integrate your digital assets into a comprehensive plan that also covers your home, investments, and business interests. This approach ensures that your digital wealth is treated as an integral part of your overall legacy, not as a separate, technical problem to be solved. It’s about finding a long-term partner who is dedicated to protecting your family’s future in a holistic way.

Why a Focused Practice Matters for Estate Planning

Corporate law firms are great at handling digital asset transactions, but estate planning is a different discipline entirely. It’s not about business deals; it’s about ensuring your loved ones are cared for and can easily access what you’ve left them. This is where a focused practice like Lawvex makes a difference for families in Central California communities like Clovis, Madera, and Solvang. We understand that RUFADAA is a legal authorization tool, not a technical access tool. A court order doesn’t help if your trustee can’t find the seed phrase to your Bitcoin wallet.

Our experience has shown that for California residents, a revocable living trust with explicit digital asset language is the most effective way to plan. A trust-based plan avoids probate and allows your successor trustee to manage assets seamlessly. By combining deep knowledge of California estate planning with a practical understanding of digital assets, we create plans that are legally sound and practically functional. This focused approach ensures that your digital wealth is protected and accessible, giving you and your family true peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions About Digital Asset Estate Planning in California

Can my family inherit my crypto if I die without a plan?

Only if they can access the wallet or account. Exchange-held cryptocurrency may be claimable through a probate proceeding or death claim process, but it will take time and documentation. Self-custody wallet holdings are unrecoverable without the private key or seed phrase. The legal right to inherit cryptocurrency means nothing without the technical ability to access it — which is why planning ahead is essential.

Can my executor legally access my online accounts in California?

Yes, with limitations. California’s RUFADAA (Probate Code 870-884) grants fiduciaries the right to access digital assets and certain electronic communications when authorized by the account holder. However, this authorization must appear in your estate planning documents, and platform online legacy tools take priority over those documents. The law creates legal authority but does not override platform security systems or solve the credential access problem.

How do I add cryptocurrency to my California trust?

Exchange-held crypto can typically be re-titled in your trust’s name by contacting the exchange and following their trust account procedures. Self-custody wallets cannot be “transferred” into a trust the way a deed transfers real property — instead, your trust document grants your successor trustee authority over those assets, and you provide them with the practical means of access through documented seed phrases and instructions. A Lawvex attorney can help you structure this correctly and ensure your trust language covers all your holdings.

What happens to my PayPal or Venmo balance when I die?

PayPal and Venmo are regulated money services businesses. Your executor or trustee can typically claim these balances through a formal death claim process, similar to a bank account. However, this process requires documentation, legal authority, and account access — all of which depend on having an estate plan that grants the right authorization and access credentials to the right person.

Are domain names considered estate assets in California?

Yes. Domain names are personal property under California law and can be transferred through an estate. However, they are registered with third-party registrars (GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.) and transferring them requires account access and following the registrar’s transfer process. Websites and online businesses built on those domains may also have significant value as going-concern assets — especially if they generate revenue — and should be addressed specifically in your estate plan.

How Our Legal Services Protect Your Digital Assets in California

Lawvex is not a general practice firm. Our attorneys specialize exclusively in estate planning, trust administration, and probate — and we have helped more than 6,400 California families build plans that hold up when it matters most. Founder Gary Winter has been a sought-after speaker on cryptocurrency and digital assets for years, bringing technical literacy that most estate planning attorneys lack.

Our fixed-fee model means you know exactly what your estate plan costs upfront — no meter running as we draft digital asset provisions, no surprise bills when your holdings are more complex than average. Our Drama Free Inheritance process covers everything: real estate, financial accounts, business interests, and yes, your entire digital footprint.

If your estate plan does not address your online accounts, cryptocurrency, and digital assets, it is not complete. The wealth you have built in the digital world deserves the same protection as everything else.

Take the next step. Schedule a strategy session with Lawvex and build a complete California estate plan that protects every asset — including the ones that only exist online.

Key Takeaways

• A Will Alone Won’t Protect Your Digital Life: Standard estate plans often fail to address digital assets due to password barriers, restrictive terms of service on platforms, and the limits of probate court. Your plan needs specific legal language that gives your executor or trustee explicit authority over online accounts and cryptocurrency.
• Inventory and Access Are Non-Negotiable: Your family cannot manage assets they do not know about. Create a detailed inventory of all digital property, from crypto wallets to social media accounts, and set up a secure method for your successor to get passwords and recovery phrases, like using a password manager with emergency access or a sealed letter with your attorney.
• Different Assets Need Different Plans: The strategy for cryptocurrency on an exchange like Coinbase differs from planning for a self-custody hardware wallet. You must also use platform-specific legacy tools, such as Google’s Inactive Account Manager, because these settings legally take priority over the instructions in your will or trust.

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