Your will becomes public record. Probably shouldn’t mention your Bitcoin in it.

If you’re still here after this recent dip you’re probably in for the long haul!

I’ve been deep in Bitcoin inheritance planning for the past few months (analysing cases, talking to families who’ve tried to recover lost coins, and support Private Client Lawyers). Wanted to share some tips and give back.

One thing keeps coming up: people treat Bitcoin like any other asset and put it in their will. “I leave my Bitcoin to my son” or whatever.

Problem: In the UK, anyone can buy a copy of your will for a few quid after you die. No questions asked. It’s public record.

So now you’ve just told the world:

∙ You owned Bitcoin

∙ Who inherited it

∙ Your family is probably grieving and vulnerable

Then someone finds your son on Facebook, sends a “helpful” DM about recovering digital estates, and… you can see where this goes. Your heir probably doesn’t know what a hardware wallet let alone what to do with it.

Even if you don’t specifically mention Bitcoin, probate courts sometimes require asset valuations. If your estate’s large enough or there’s a dispute, Bitcoin holdings can end up in public court records anyway.

The deeper issue though: wills handle who gets what, not how to access it. \*this is the biggest problem I see, certainly from law firms\*

Saying “Child gets my Bitcoin” is like saying “Child gets my email account.”

Cool, but what’s the password? Where’s the hardware wallet? What’s the PIN? Does she know how to use a seed phrase without getting scammed? Even exchanges have very lax inheritance processes. They won’t ask if you’re still alive.

What I’ve seen work better:

\- Keep the will vague: “digital assets to XX” rather than “my Bitcoin holdings”

\- Use a Letter of Wishes (UK thing - private document that guides executors but isn’t public)

\- Store actual access instructions separately, somewhere secure

\- Actually test if your family can access a small amount

Most people secure Bitcoin against hackers. Almost nobody secures it against inheritance. And making it public record doesn’t help.

Curious what others are doing for this? Have you mentioned Bitcoin in your will or kept it vague?