Create a plan now for your virtual "assets"

MILLIONS OF Americans use e-mail, blogs and social networking sites to stay connected with friends and relatives. But what happens to your accounts after you die?

Several Web-based services will forward stored user names, passwords and instructions after you die to anyone you choose. LegacyLocker.com lets you store account information for sites such as Facebook, eBay and PayPal. After your death is verified, your “beneficiaries” get your log-in information to carry out your wishes. A basic account is free. A comprehensive account is $29.99 a year (or a one-time fee of $299.99). At AssetLock.net, you can store notes about funeral arrangements and where to find your will and insurance policies. Plans range from $9.95 a year to $239.95 total.

MyWebwill.com hasn't even launched yet, but co-founder Lisa Granberg says many people have requested information. The Sweden-based service is similar to LegacyLocker but less expensive: A basic account is free; a lifetime account is $179.

But such companies can go out of business, says Roy Doppelt, an estate-planning lawyer in San Diego. He suggests a safe-deposit box: “As long as the beneficiary has access, this is a sound strategy.”