Inheritance Planning

The Problem

• Your family doesn't know where your seed is
• They don't know what a seed is
• They don't know how to use a COLDCARD
• They don't know you have bitcoin at all
• Even with all the above, they might make a mistake and lose everything

You need a plan that works for non-technical people under stress.

The Simple Approach

Write an Inventory Document

A plain-language document that lists:

1. What you own — "I have bitcoin stored in a hardware wallet"
2. Where the devices are — physical locations of COLDCARDs and metal backups
3. How to access it — step-by-step instructions a non-technical person can follow
4. Who to call for help — a trusted technical friend, or a professional service

No seed phrases or PINs in this document. It should be safe in a filing cabinet or with a lawyer. It points to where the secrets are, without being a secret itself.

Store Seeds Accessibly

Metal backups need to be in locations your heir can actually access. A safe deposit box with your spouse as co-signer, a home safe with the combination in a sealed envelope with your lawyer, or similar.

Update Annually

Review once a year. Update when you change wallets, move backups, or change your family situation. A stale plan is almost as bad as no plan.

Another Approach: Assisted Multisig

Assisted multisig services can help families operate and recover a wallet without giving one company unilateral control.

Examples include Casa, Unchained, and Nunchuk. Their key arrangements, inheritance features, eligibility, fees, and recovery processes can change. Review the current documentation before relying on any provider.

In a correctly configured 2-of-3 wallet, a provider controlling one key cannot spend alone. This does not eliminate provider, configuration, privacy, continuity, legal, or recovery risk. Confirm who controls each key, what information heirs will need, and what happens if the provider becomes unavailable.

Using Multisig for Inheritance

If you run your own 2-of-3 multisig, you can distribute keys with inheritance in mind:

• Key 1: You hold (your home or office)
• Key 2: Trusted family member (spouse, adult child)
• Key 3: Lawyer, safe-deposit box, or second trusted person

Any two keys can authorize spending. If you're unavailable, Key 2 and Key 3 can be used, provided the recovery material and wallet configuration are available. Store the wallet descriptor, which is not normally secret, with all key holders.

What NOT to Do

• Don't rely on a dead man's switch alone. Dead man's switches that auto-send bitcoin after inactivity are fragile and can fire accidentally.
• Don't give someone full access "just in case." If they have all the keys, they have your bitcoin now — not just after you die.
• Don't assume your family will figure it out. They won't. Write it down.
• Don't hide everything. Secrecy that protects your bitcoin while you're alive can destroy it when you're dead.

For US Residents

How bitcoin is handled after death depends on state law, your estate documents, and how the keys or accounts are controlled. Many states have enacted versions of the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA), but these laws do not automatically provide seed words, passphrases, wallet descriptors, or practical access to self-custodied bitcoin.

Identify the asset and intended authority in your estate plan without placing spendable secrets in a will or another document that may become public. Coordinate the legal documents with a tested technical recovery plan.

A lawyer licensed in your jurisdiction and familiar with digital assets can help align your will or trust, fiduciary authority, access instructions, and tax planning. Pamela Morgan's Bitcoin Inheritance Guide provides additional practical background.