Four layers, one calm plan

A complete legacy plan used to be described as three layers: a will, a password manager, and a release plan for your digital vault. That's still sound. But it leaves out the layer families often care about most: what you want to say to them.

This checklist covers all four layers, with the personal one first. Education only, not legal advice.

Layer 1: letters and videos (what you want to say)

  • A letter to each person you'd want to hear from you
  • A short video, recorded in your browser or uploaded from your phone
  • Captioned family photos and stories
  • A named trustee for each item
  • Each trustee told, in person, that something exists for them

In MemoryShield, a letter is plain text plus an optional file, and trustees can download released videos.

Layer 2: your will (legal)

  • A will made with a qualified lawyer under your local law
  • An executor named
  • Guardianship addressed, if you have young children
  • Family knows where the will is kept

A will handles legal matters. It doesn't hold or release your letters. See A will does not release your digital vault.

Layer 3: logins (credentials)

Don't copy passwords into letters or your legacy vault. They change and go stale. MemoryShield isn't a password manager.

Layer 4: release (how it reaches people)

  • Items in your MemoryShield vault, each with a named trustee
  • Trustees invited and accepted (naming doesn't unlock anything)
  • A backup contact added (notified during verification, no vault access)
  • An email life-check on a schedule you can keep, to an inbox you read

Here is what happens if you stop answering your email check-ins. Nothing is released because of one missed email. First there's extended monitoring: more check-ins, more time. Then your backup contact is notified; they can't see your vault. Then there's a waiting period. Only after all of that do your verified trustees receive the items you designated for them. MemoryShield doesn't certify death and has no death-certificate, legal or medical review step. Full walkthrough: How an email life-check and verification work before vault release.

A quiet note on security: your vault is encrypted at rest (AES-256), with escrowed keys so release can work after verification; not zero-knowledge. Item-level encryption is opt-in: you can turn it on for an item, and it's off unless you do. MemoryShield isn't a password manager or a will, and it can't open anyone's other accounts. How security works.

One-page division of labor

Layer What it handles What it doesn't
Letters and videos Your words, your face, your stories Legal matters or logins
Will Property, executor, guardianship Releasing your letters or vault
Login tool Day-to-day credentials Personal messages to family
MemoryShield vault Keeping your items and releasing them to named trustees after verification Accessing third-party accounts, certifying death

Common gaps this checklist closes

  • The letter in the drawer. Written but never found. Layer 1 plus Layer 4 fixes it.
  • The will with no words. Legally complete but silent on what you wanted to say.
  • Released too soon. A single missed signal shouldn't hand anything over; verification comes first.
  • Nobody knows. Tell your trustees and executor that the plan exists.

Minimum setup for this month

  1. Write one letter.
  2. Put it in your vault and name a trustee.
  3. Add a backup contact and turn on your email check-in.
  4. Book time with a lawyer if your will is missing or out of date.

On roles: Executor vs digital trustee.

Start on the Free plan ($0)

Start with Layer 1. One letter, one trustee and one email check-in make a real first step.

Start on the Free plan ($0). No card required. The Free plan holds up to 5 items and 1 trustee. If you later want more room, Premium is $9.99/mo or $99/yr (up to 200 items and 5 trustees); paid plans have a 30-day trial and need a card or PayPal at checkout.

Security: https://memoryshield.life/security · Plans: https://memoryshield.life/public-pricing · Support: support@memoryshield.life