How do you make sure your family can actually inherit your crypto?

Crypto has no lost-password desk: if only you know the way in, the money can be locked forever. Exchange accounts and self-custody wallets need different plans, seed phrases must never go in a will that becomes public, and the plan should be tested with a small wallet first.

Crypto has a cruel feature: if only you know the way in, the money can be locked forever when you are gone. Short answer: Your family can inherit your crypto — but only if you build the bridge while you are alive. Exchange accounts and self-custody wallets need different plans, your seed phrase must never appear in your will, and the whole plan should be tested with a small practice wallet first.

Money on an exchange behaves like a bank account: the company holds the keys, so your executor works through its estate process with a death certificate and legal papers. A self-custody wallet is the opposite — whoever holds the seed phrase holds the coins, and no company can reset it. A will becomes public during probate — which is why seed phrases, passwords, and private keys must never be written into one: anyone reading the filed will could drain the wallet first.1.

Inventory the accounts, not the secrets. List which exchanges and wallets you use, what each holds, and where a hardware wallet is kept. No passwords and no seed phrases on this list.2.

Write a sealed instruction letter. Explain where the seed phrase is stored and how recovery works. Keep it sealed with your attorney, or somewhere your executor can reach when needed.3.

Tell someone the plan exists. Your executor or a trusted family member should know the letter exists and where it is — a perfect plan nobody knows about is no plan.4. Test recovery with a small wallet.

Create a practice wallet with a few dollars and have your trusted person recover it from your instructions alone. Rewrite every step that confuses them.5. Review it once a year.

Accounts close, wallets move, balances change — a one-page annual check keeps the plan real.Warning: Never share your seed phrase with this site, with us, or by email — not with anyone. Anyone who asks for it is trying to steal from you.Pro tip: The common mistake is telling a spouse “it is all in the safe” when the safe holds a bare hardware wallet with no explanation. The device alone is not access — the instructions are.Ad’s take: Nobody enjoys this paperwork, but an hour of it is the difference between an inheritance and a very expensive locked box.

Start with the inventory list this week.