The wider world · 84 / 86
Inheritance and lost keys
If the seed is lost, the money is gone. If you die and nobody can find the seed, the money is gone. There is no probate department on the chain.
Lost keys
A forgotten password on a hardware wallet can be survived if the seed remains. A lost seed cannot. No company can restore a key they never held.
When you are gone
Someone you trust needs a way to reach the seed without having it today. A lawyer, a safe, a split of the words in two places. Write the instructions in plain language.
An exchange account may be claimable through the company with a death certificate. Coins in your own wallet will not be. Plan the difference.
Check yourself
Can a chain's support restore a lost seed?
No. If you held the keys and lost them, the record stays, and you cannot move it.
After this you can write down how someone you trust would reach the funds, without giving them the seed today.