August 10th

I am sorting out my will and doing some estate planning. This is not at all connected to Vladimir Trumpkins “fire and brimstone” threats to North Korea and the growing fear that he could well start World War III by accident. It’s just a prudent thing to do.

Part of the work involved in doing this is to put yourself in the shoes of the executor of your estate – what is it that they need to know so that they can manage the estate after my death? A lot is the answer. The briefing document is getting substantial!

One thing that occurred to me is very simple: who inherits my iTunes account? The technical answer is no one. When you die, according to the iTunes agreement, the account dies with you. So the $20,000 invested is gone unless you drop the entire account onto CD’s and DVD’s first. This is also the case for Shoppers Drug Mart Optima points – death means done.

Aeroplan miles are also interesting. For a flat $30 fee, Aeroplan offers the option to transfer those points to a newly created estate account, which can be used by surviving family members. But the points in the estate account must be used in their entirety within one year. As you plan the funeral, you need to plan the vacation!

Of course, someone has to advise Apple, Shoppers, and Aeroplan of the death of the account holder. To do so, they need access to the account (login and passwords), so they can access the music, the points and other resources. Just saying….