1) Executive Summary

A sovereign legacy system fuses three layers:

Guardrails: This page is educational, not legal advice. Verify tax thresholds and probate steps for your jurisdiction before acting, and work with qualified professionals.

2) Asset Inventory & Risk Map

What your heirs can’t find, they can’t inherit. Start with a canonical inventory and risk model that any trusted adult can follow in a crisis.

2.1 Asset Classes

• Money rails: bank, brokerage, pensions, exchanges, stablecoins.
• Bitcoin & crypto: cold vaults, hot wallets, multisig cosigners, Lightning channels.
• Digital identity: email, SIM/eSIM, Apple/Google accounts (for receipts, 2FA, device unlock).
• Web assets: domains, DNS, hosting, Shopify/WordPress, analytics, CDNs.
• Devices: phones, laptops, hardware wallets, safes, YubiKeys.
• IP & media: manuscripts, code, designs, photos, brand assets, licenses.
• Social & comms: X/Twitter, YouTube, Telegram, WhatsApp backups, Signal PINs.
• Physical: safes, safe-deposit boxes, deeds, certificates, bullion.

2.2 Access Tiers

• Tier A (life-safety): device unlock codes, primary email, password manager access (with emergency access configured), bank & identity docs.
• Tier B (operational): domains/DNS, hosting, business apps, cloud drives, 2FA tokens, financial dashboards.
• Tier C (vaulted): Bitcoin vault instructions, seed backups, passphrases, metal plates, tamper-evident envelopes, safe-deposit locations.

2.3 Threat Model & Risk Map

• Single-sig failure: one device/seed controls everything. Solution: multisig with distributed custody.
• Knowledge leakage: heirs know the keys instead of the steps. Solution: separate “what to do” from “the secrets”.
• Institution lock-outs: photos/emails lost behind Apple/Google/Facebook accounts. Solution: set Legacy Contacts/Inactive Manager now.
• Location risk: all backups in the same room/city. Solution: geographic sharding (home safe + bank box + counsel vault).

3) Legal & Human Roles (Educational Overview)

This section orients you to roles and documents so you can brief a solicitor efficiently. UK terms are used for clarity; adapt to your jurisdiction.

3.1 Roles

• Testator/Testatrix: you (the person making the will).
• Executor(s): the person(s) who apply for probate and distribute your estate; name alternates and empower them with a clear Letter of Instruction.
• Trustee(s): optional; hold assets (e.g., IP, vault interest) for beneficiaries under trust terms.
• Technical steward: a person/service who can coach heirs through recovery without holding your funds (e.g., collaborative-custody support).

3.2 Core documents

• Will: sets executors/guardians and distribution. Have it checked by a qualified solicitor to avoid invalidation.
• Letter of Instruction: plain-English playbook (where the files are, who to call, what order to act). No secrets; just locations/process.
• Schedules of property: annexes listing accounts, policies, devices, domains, and storage locations.
• IP annex: who inherits copyrights/trademarks; licences to keep your work online. In the UK, most copyright endures 70 years after death.

3.3 Taxes (UK snapshot)

Inheritance Tax (IHT) is currently charged at 40% on the portion of the estate above the threshold(s); there may be a basic nil-rate band and, where applicable, a residence band. Rules and thresholds can change and vary by circumstances — confirm before acting.

3.4 Digital accounts access

• Google: configure Inactive Account Manager to share data or notify someone after inactivity.
• Apple: add one or more Legacy Contacts (access key + death certificate required).
• Facebook: choose a Legacy Contact or set deletion on death.

4) Bitcoin Inheritance Patterns (Multisig/Timelocks)

Design your vault around open standards to maximise portability across wallets and time. At minimum, your plan should document the standards you use and how to re-derive keys on new software in the future.

4.1 Standards you should recognise

• HD wallets (BIP-32): hierarchical keys from a single seed; enables xpubs for watch-only auditing and safe address derivation.
• Mnemonics (BIP-39): human-readable seed phrases, optionally with a passphrase.
• PSBT (BIP-174): a transaction format for multi-party / offline signing — crucial for inheritance rehearsals.
• Timelocks (BIP-65 CLTV): make outputs spendable only after a time/height; useful for “delayed escape” or recovery flows.
• Deterministic key order (BIP-67): sorted multisig keys so independent wallets produce the same script.

4.2 Reference vaults

2-of-3 Family Vault: three independent hardware keys (e.g., You + Trusted Relative + Professional). Any two can recover; distribute devices and seed backups across locations. Keep balances private from heirs using watch-only xpubs, not seeds.

3-of-5 Legacy Council: You + 2 relatives + 2 professionals in different firms. Any 3 can spend; make one key time-locked for emergency fallback (e.g., becomes valid only after a defined period).

4.3 Inheritance flow (example for a 2-of-3)

1. During life: You hold Key-A; Relative holds Key-B sealed; Professional holds Key-C sealed. Watch-only wallet monitors balances. Annual PSBT-based drill to prove recovery works without moving funds.
2. On death/incapacity: Executor verifies will; Letter of Instruction directs Relative + Professional to unseal their envelopes and co-sign a PSBT to move funds to the estate/beneficiary vault.
3. Privacy: Heirs never handled your seed; they only follow the process and co-sign as instructed.

4.4 Sharded backups (SLIP-39 “Shamir”)

Instead of one vulnerable seed card, shard recovery data into k-of-n shares and distribute across people/places. If one share is lost/compromised, funds remain safe; if k come together, recovery succeeds. Use open implementations and practice reassembly annually.

4.5 Vendor-assisted inheritance (examples)

Some non-custodial services offer structured inheritance workflows (timers, coaching for heirs) atop native multisig. Evaluate them on transparency, exportability (standard descriptors/PSBT), and legal fit.

5) Storage & Geography

Great plans fail because all the critical artefacts sit in one room. Design storage like an airline safety system: redundant, distributed, and documented.

5.1 Locations

• Home safe: fire/water-rated; store non-secrets (letters, inventory index, receipt copies). Consider a sealed envelope for emergency device PINs.
• Bank safe-deposit box: original will or solicitor copy, certain envelopes, seed plates for one key share (not all).
• Counsel vault: duplicate of the Letter of Instruction + copy of which locations hold which sealed items.

5.2 Packaging

• Tamper-evident envelopes/bags: numbered, signed, and logged in your inventory.
• Metal backups: corrosion-resistant plates for critical words or xprv fragments; ensure legibility checks annually.
• Print discipline: print only what is intended to be printed; never mix “what to do” with “the secret”.

5.3 Separation of knowledge

Knowledge of the plan lives widely (so people know what to do). Knowledge of the keys lives narrowly (so no single party can spend). This simple separation is the difference between inheritance and exposure.

6) Documents & Instruction Sets

Your heirs need process clarity without unnecessary exposure. Separate instructions from secrets, and control access with packaging and geography.

6.1 What to print vs. what not to print

6.2 Envelope taxonomy (label once, follow forever)

• White — Instructions: Read-first documents (Letter of Instruction; Inventory Index).
• Blue — Legal: Will copy, death certificates, property schedules.
• Green — Operations: Recovery Drill sheet, watch-only descriptors, wallet paths.
• Red — Secrets (sealed): key shards, device PINs, passphrase fragments (each numbered, signed, and logged).

Maintain an Envelope Register (ID → colour → contents summary → current location → sign/verify log).

6.3 Versioning, hashes, and integrity

• Put a version and date on every printed page (e.g., M2M-LEGACY v1.3 — 2025-09-11).
• Generate a simple checksum (e.g., SHA-256) for PDFs stored in cloud archive; print the hash on the corresponding paper copy to detect tampering.
• When you update any instruction, collect & destroy superseded copies and update the Envelope Register.

6.4 Dead-man switches and health checks

• Human-in-the-loop: a trusted person pings you at set intervals; failure triggers review by the executor/technical steward.
• Service-based inactivity settings: configure Inactive Account/Legacy Contact features for email/cloud/photos to avoid lockout.
• Time-boxed envelopes: Red envelopes annotated “Open only upon executor instruction or after N days of confirmed incapacity.”

6.5 Letter of Instruction — sample template

M2M SOVEREIGN LEGACY — LETTER OF INSTRUCTION (Sample)
Version: v1.0  |  Date: YYYY-MM-DD  |  Owner: FULL NAME

1) First calls: 
   - Executor(s): NAME, PHONE, EMAIL
   - Solicitor: NAME, PHONE, EMAIL
   - Technical Steward: NAME, PHONE, EMAIL

2) Documents & locations:
   - Original Will: [location]
   - Grant of Probate (when issued): [location]
   - Envelope Register: [location]
   - White/Blue/Green/Red envelopes: [locations by city]

3) Immediate steps (no secrets inside this document):
   - Collect White (Instructions) and Blue (Legal) envelopes.
   - Review Inventory Index. Do NOT open Red (Secrets) without executor instruction.
   - For Bitcoin vaults: load watch-only file/descriptor from Green envelope and verify balances.
   - Schedule Recovery Drill with Technical Steward (PSBT walkthrough) before any fund movement.

4) Contacts:
   - Banks/Insurers: [list]
   - Domains/Hosting/Shopify/WordPress: [list]
   - Social & Media: [list]

5) Notes:
   - DO NOT store this letter with seed words.
   - If a page conflicts with the Will, the Will governs.
  

6.6 Recovery Drill — single-page checklist (printable)

RECOVERY DRILL — MULTISIG (2-of-3) — ANNUAL
People present: Owner (or Executor), Relative (Key-B), Professional (Key-C), Technical Steward
Devices: 2 hardware signers, air-gapped laptop or signing device, watch-only wallet, PSBT-capable software

1) Gather: Green envelope + designated devices (no Red envelopes unless real event).
2) Load watch-only wallet (descriptor/xpubs) and verify balances.
3) Create a 0.000x BTC PSBT to a fresh address (testnet for rehearsals if preferred).
4) Sign with Key-B + Key-C on separate devices; finalize PSBT offline; broadcast from watch-only.
5) Record drill success/failure, software versions, and any corrections needed.
6) Return devices to their storage; update Envelope Register; book next drill date.
  

7) Heir Training & Operational Drills

People—not tools—decide whether a legacy plan survives contact with reality. Train for clarity and calm, not technical bravado.

7.1 Personas & responsibilities

• Executor: validates death, secures documents, coordinates probate, convenes the team, and controls which envelopes are opened when.
• Technical Steward: facilitates drills, configures watch-only, walks heirs through PSBT signing, never holds spend authority alone.
• Heir Lead: primary beneficiary or guardian who tracks tasks and confirms completion of each checklist item.
• Key-holders: individuals who hold hardware or Red envelopes; they must understand when to unseal and that seeds ≠ instructions.

7.2 Tabletop exercises (no keys required)

1. Read the Letter of Instruction out loud. Identify decisions, not passwords.
2. Walk through the order of operations (legal first, then operational).
3. Open the Green envelope only; verify the watch-only wallet loads correctly and shows expected balances.
4. Simulate a support call: executor phones the technical steward and role-plays time-pressure.

7.3 Annual rehearsal (with PSBT)

• Create a small PSBT and perform distributed signing on two devices (or on testnet).
• Practice replacing a failed device from its backup (document the exact steps you used).
• Update the Recovery Drill sheet with any software/version changes.

7.4 Red-team tests (optional, high-maturity)

• Simulate the loss of a key or city-level storage location. Can you still recover with remaining shares?
• Simulate an impatient heir who asks to open Red envelopes early. Confirm that governance prevents premature access.
• Have the technical steward prove that everything remains exportable to a different wallet stack (descriptor portability).

7.5 Non-technical heir guide (one page)

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, TAKE A BREATH.
1) Call the Executor. Do not open any Red envelopes.
2) Bring the White and Blue envelopes to the first meeting.
3) Ask the Technical Steward to show balances on a watch-only wallet (no spending).
4) Follow the Letter of Instruction step by step. Do not improvise.
5) If something doesn't match the paper, stop and call the solicitor.
  

8) IP, Brand, and Data Archives

Your reputation, creative works, brand assets, and data can outlive you if they’re organised and licensed with intent. Treat them like a product line.

8.1 Archive structure (suggested)

/archives
  /legal
    will.pdf
    grants-probate.pdf
    licensing-summary.pdf
  /brand
    logos/
    fonts/
    colour-system.md
    brand-guidelines.pdf
  /ip
    articles/
    code/
    images/
    audio/
    video/
  /web
    site-export/
    sitemap.xml
    redirects.csv
  /docs
    letter-of-instruction.pdf
    recovery-drill.pdf
  

8.2 Licensing & permissions

• Default license posture: specify whether commercial use is allowed, attribution required, or if certain packages are “heir-exclusive”.
• Creative Commons for public works: CC-BY (attribution) or CC-BY-NC (non-commercial) for selected essays to amplify reach.
• Commercial IP: keep contracts and revenue splits with a trustee or company; list which assets transfer to beneficiaries vs remain under company control.

8.3 Legacy website plan

• Create a static export of your site (Shopify/WordPress) for archival hosting if the main stack ever changes.
• Set up uptime monitoring (email alerts to executor/technical steward).
• Document DNS provider, registrar logins (process only), and emergency name-server change steps in the Letter of Instruction.

8.4 Social handles & platform custody

• Maintain a list of important handles and their policy path for transfer (some platforms allow memorialisation or transfer via support case).
• Where available, configure Legacy Contact/Inactive settings in advance.

8.5 Backups & geography

• Follow a 3-2-1 pattern: 3 copies, 2 media types, 1 off-site. Layer cloud + NAS + bank box where sensible.
• Geo-distribute at city/region level to avoid correlated risks (flood, fire, theft).
• Encrypt archives in transit and at rest; store keys separately per the Separation of Knowledge model.

8.6 Privacy & sensitive items

• Define what becomes public (blogs, research) vs what remains private (family photos, medical files).
• For private sets, store access instructions (not credentials) and reference the sealed Red envelopes for any necessary decryption secrets.

9) Review Cadence & Triggers

Legacy plans rot quietly. Your defence is a lightweight, recurring review with explicit triggers.

9.1 Cadence

• Quarterly pulse (30–45 min): confirm contact tree, check cloud/archive uptime, skim watch-only balances, reconfirm storage locations.
• Annual drill (2–3 hrs): full Recovery Drill (PSBT/testnet), refresh versions/hashes, rotate any compromised packaging.
• Biannual legal touch: brief with your solicitor to confirm will wording and executor status; update Letter of Instruction version/date.

9.2 Triggers (run a review if any occur)

• Life events: marriage/divorce, birth/adoption, death of an executor, relocation, serious diagnosis.
• Balance threshold: Bitcoin or asset balances cross a preset value (e.g., £X). Re-evaluate multisig pattern and storage geography.
• Software/firmware changes: major wallet updates; change logs mention descriptors, PSBT, or address handling.
• Vendor changes: exchange policy shifts, registrar/hosting migrations, bank account closures.
• Geography risk: flood/fire/theft in any storage city; rotate placements to restore distribution.

9.3 Review packet (one pager)

REVIEW PACKET — M2M SOVEREIGN LEGACY
Date: ________  Version: v_____

1) People: Confirm executor(s), technical steward, key-holders, contact details.
2) Locations: Verify home safe, bank box, counsel vault, off-site archive path.
3) Integrity: Recompute PDF hashes; compare with printed checksums.
4) Watch-only: Load descriptor, verify balances, confirm derivation paths.
5) Packaging: Inspect tamper seals; replace aged labels/envelopes.
6) Decisions since last review: ______________________________________
  

10) Execution Framework — 6-Week Sovereign Legacy Build

Follow this schedule to go from zero to a rehearsed inheritance system in six weeks.

FAQ