Every issue is researched, written, and formatted before it reaches you for approval. Below is a real sample on digital asset estate planning — a topic most clients have never discussed with their attorney.
By [Firm Name] | Estate Planning
An estimated 3 to 4 million Bitcoin, worth over $300 billion, are permanently lost. Not tied up in probate. Not frozen pending a court ruling.
Gone. Forever.
Most of it belongs to people who died without leaving access instructions. And most of their families had no idea there was anything to recover. (Fibo Crypto, Feb. 2026)
This is not a fringe problem. It is coming to a growing number of estates, and most plans written in the last decade don't address it at all.
When someone dies with money in a checking account, their executor has a path. The bank has a legal department. The probate court has authority. The right paperwork moves the money.
Cryptocurrency does not work that way.
Blockchain networks have no administrator. No customer service. No judge whose order means anything to the network. If an executor cannot access a crypto wallet because the passwords or keys are missing, there is no recovery process. (Harrington Law, Nov. 2024) The asset either moves with the right key, or it does not move at all.
Here is something that surprises most people. A will that says "all my assets go to my children" is not enough. Even with an airtight will, a crypto provider can deny access to an executor if the account is not specifically authorized in the right way. The funds can be lost even when the entire family knows they exist. (Monteforte Law, Jan. 2026)
Some people hold crypto on an exchange like Coinbase. That's workable after death. There's a company involved, a login, a support line.
Cold storage is different. Cold storage means crypto held on a physical hardware device, completely offline. The only thing that unlocks it is a seed phrase. That's a sequence of 12 or 24 ordinary words, in a specific order, that acts as the master key to everything in the wallet.
Lose those words and the crypto is gone permanently. (Onramp Bitcoin, Jan. 2026) There is no locksmith. There is no manufacturer hotline.
Romanian Bitcoin pioneer Mircea Popescu controlled an estimated 1 to 2% of the total Bitcoin supply when he drowned off the coast of Costa Rica in 2021. No will. No access information. Billions are believed to be permanently gone. (Expat Tax Thailand, Nov. 2025)
The good news is that this is solvable.
A multi-signature wallet requires two of three designated keys to move any funds. One key stays with you. One goes to your executor or attorney. One goes to your heir. Any two of those three people can move the funds. No single loss locks everyone out. (Cobo, Dec. 2025) The Bitcoin Estate Planning Commission Standards 2025 recommend exactly this structure for inheritance planning.
Beyond that, a proper digital asset plan includes a complete inventory of all holdings, secure storage of access instructions kept separate from the seed phrase itself, and specific trust provisions that name a digital executor.
There is also a tax benefit at stake. Inherited cryptocurrency can benefit from a stepped-up cost basis, which resets the heir's tax liability to fair market value at the date of death. That can reduce capital gains tax significantly when they sell. But only if the asset is properly included in the estate. (CryptoConsultz, Mar. 2026) Assets that fall through the cracks don't get that benefit.
Most estate plans don't ask about digital assets. We do.
If you hold any cryptocurrency, or think a family member might, contact us to schedule a review that covers your full digital picture.
This newsletter is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult a qualified estate planning attorney regarding your specific situation.
This is one issue. You'd get 17 per year, written in your voice, published under your name. You review it before it sends. You write nothing.