Sad but true.

[Mlc]

This is something not many people consider but could be totally relevant when you least expect it. I've come across lots of news articles of lost coins and investments due to the unexpected death of the key holders and how the families left behind have no way getting hold of any of the funds.

key points here are

• Have you planned ahead like you would with the money in your bank account.
• Are your investments available for your loved ones when your gone.
• Does this contradict the whole "never share your private key" statement,
• Is there a truly safe place you can save digital private keys.

I found an interesting article and thought it was worth sharing.

Prepare for the Inevitable

If you are a young fortune-hunter toiling away on a computer in a basement, the prospect of death probably isn’t among your top considerations. Equally, if the main draw to crypto is its relative privacy, you may not be particularly eager to share your private keys with your loved ones, as a hacker could sift through your papers, weaponize your keys and empty your savings.

Most privacy-obsessed, wealth-chasing geeks are used to keeping their private keys a total secret. But when the Grim Reaper shows up unannounced, the family of an anonymous crypto-millionaire can be left without access to their relative’s riches. In one of the most widely publicized recent examples, paranoid U.S. investor Matthew Mellon died earlier this year, leaving few clues to a crypto fortune reportedly valued at more than $500 million.In South Africa, for instance, thousands of people have invested in cryptocurrencies. However, once they pass away, many of those individuals will die with their holdings.

“As a young industry, with little regulation, it is crucial for investors to become more responsible in their attitude towards cryptocurrency investing,” Eran Brill, an investment management director at Stonehage Fleming in South Africa, recently told one news site. “Investors need a storage execution strategy for account information, as well as advice on the implications regarding the deceased estate, including access to accounts, distribution to beneficiaries, and tax implications.”

According to Chainalysis, about 25 percent of all bitcoins now in circulation (valued at roughly $23.5 billion) have already been lost forever. Death likely accounts for a good portion of these losses. But the recent example of Mellon, in particular, may encourage investors to start thinking beyond their own lives.

Mellon died in April at the age of 54. He passed away with up to $500 million in ripple stashed away in cold storage under fake names in banks across the U.S. But the secretive millionaire took his fortune with him, because he failed to name heirs to his wealth and did not provide information on how to access his crypto wallets.

Posthumous losses of cryptocurrency will likely become more of a problem in the years to come, as investors will remain inclined to value secrecy to safeguard their wallets. While death is a concern, bitcoin wealth can also be lost through theft, accidental deletion, security breaches, and the loss of passwords and hard drives. This explains, in part, why cryptocurrency investors are secretive about their details

read more here.

source https://news.bitcoin.com/bitcoin-after-death-the-perils-of-sharing-ones-fortune/

 

[irawk0]

That's actually good news for everyone else though. I believe Dan's signature summarizes it: "Lost coins only make everyone else’s coins worth slightly more. 
Think of it as a donation to everyone." - Satoshi Nakamoto

 

[williamshennie9]

Again, please don't copy/paste  Just change it up a bit more to make it original and your own.

[luizoruivo]

Even though I am young I have a folder where I have written down a lot of relevant information about my things. If a person who knows bitcoin read certain roles will be able to remove my satoshis, then my "inheritance" will follow some way.

If we consider that the worst can happen, I have no one close to me with sufficient knowledge to withdraw my currency.

It would be funny to imagine my great-grandson stirring the old boxes and finding a lost treasure of bitcoin.