Veault Blog
Legal
Will
By:
Léon van Leeuwen
Last updated:
November 7, 2025
You’ve drafted a will with the notary. Your house, your savings, and guardianship are all sorted. You feel like everything is wrapped up.
This is one of the most common (and costly) misunderstandings in modern inheritance planning.
The hard truth is: your will handles the legal transfer, but it doesn't solve the practical access. Your notary decides who inherits your house, but doesn’t give your heirs the front door key. Your digital life is just the same.
In this guide, we explain the crucial difference between a will and a digital vault, and why you need both.
The Danger: Why You Never Include Passwords in a Will
Some folks try to resolve this by adding a list of passwords to their will. This is a bad idea for two main reasons:
You don't have full control over who can view your will: After a passing, a will is registered and accessible to all heirs and sometimes other interested parties. Including your passwords in this document is like pinning the keys to your entire life on the community center's notice board. It's a huge security risk.
A will is static (and therefore outdated): Your will might get updated every few years. Your passwords? Hopefully, you change them regularly. The password for your email that's in your will now will be old and useless to your loved ones in six months.
What Does a Notary Do and Not Do?
The role of the notary is invaluable, but it's important to understand what that role really involves.
What a Notary DOES:
Determines who your legal heirs are.
Appoints an executor (the person who handles the estate settlement).
Manages the formal transfer of major, registered assets (like a house, a stock portfolio).
Drafts a Declaration of Inheritance.
What a Notary DOES NOT DO:
Cancel your Netflix subscription.
Log into your Gmail to find important correspondence.
Save the thousands of photos of your grandchildren from your Apple iCloud.
Convert your Facebook account to a memorial status.
Secure your crypto legacy.
The notary gives your executor the legal authority to do this, but then the executor encounters 100 locked digital doors.
The Difference: Will vs. Digital Safe
The solution is a pair. You need both, and they each serve their own role.
Your Will: The WHAT and WHO.
What is inherited (the house, the money).
Who inherits it (your partner, your children).
Your Digital Safe (Veault): The HOW and WHERE.
How do they access the banking app?
Where are the photos stored?
How do you cancel the energy contract?
Where is the PDF of the will itself?
The Perfect Complement to Your Will
A digital safe like Veault is the perfect partner for your will. It's built to do precisely what a will cannot:
It's dynamic: You can update your passwords and notes safely as often as you want.
It's secure: Unlike a will, a Veault safe is protected with Zero-Knowledge encryption. Only you (and your trusted person) have the key. It's completely private and designed to store sensitive data.
It's practical: It acts as a guidebook for your executor. It gives them a guided, step-by-step checklist, saving them tens of hours and huge frustration.
How to Use Them Together?
If you want to organize your estate as well as possible, the best practice is simple:
You prepare your will with the notary (The 'Who' and 'What').
You fill your Veault safe with all your dynamic data (The 'How' and 'Where').
You include no passwords in the will itself.
In your will, add one simple sentence to make the connection: "For the settlement of my digital estate and an overview of all my practical affairs, I refer my executor to the digital safe I have set up with Veault. Access to this has been arranged separately by me."
How Do You Share the 'Master Key' of Your Safe?
The only question that remains is how your executor gets access to the safe itself. Ideally, the master password of your safe does not change. There are several routes for this:
A Trusted Person: The simplest method. You instruct one or more trusted persons where you store your safe password.
The Notarial Deposit: A very secure, formal route. You hand over the master password in a sealed envelope to your notary via a 'deed of deposit'. This is, unlike the will, completely private and not (semi-)public.
(You can specifically refer to the chosen method in your will. Always discuss the exact wording with your notary.)
This way, the legal and the practical stay perfectly separate but work seamlessly together.
A will is the cornerstone of your estate. But it's only half the story.
Ensure your executor has not only the 'legal' authority but also the 'practical' keys.
Read more about organizing your complete digital estate.
Disclaimer: The information in this blog is intended solely for general informational purposes. It is not legal, financial, or professional advice and should not be construed as such. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information, we make no warranties regarding its completeness or accuracy. Use of the information is at your own risk. Always consult a qualified professional, such as a notary or lawyer, for advice on your specific situation.
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