Probate under pressure: why executors need simpler crypto processes, not more complexity

Probate is already time-pressured. Crypto adds fragile access and scam risk. Here's an executor-ready process that reduces chaos.

Introduction

The modern estate is already difficult: multiple accounts, digital services, changing family structures, and increasing administrative load. Crypto adds a uniquely hard problem: assets can exist without a central authority that can restore access. That is not a technology issue. It is a process issue.

Key takeaways

• Crypto failures in estates usually come from unknown assets, unknown access, and unclear authority. • Executors need a practical pathway: inventory, evidence, lawful authority, and a safe execution plan. • Complexity creates scam risk and family conflict. • Bitzo's purpose is to create executor-ready, non-custodial documentation that reduces friction at the moment of death.

The executor's reality: they have a job, not a hobby

Executors are often family members under stress. They are managing: • paperwork and deadlines, • bank accounts and property, • beneficiaries with questions, • solicitors and accountants, • emotions, grief, and practical disruption. Crypto becomes dangerous when it is treated like a puzzle to solve. In practice, executors need: 1. a clear list of what exists, 2. evidence to prove it, 3. clarity on what they are allowed to do, 4. a method to execute without creating new risk.

The three estate failure modes that destroy value

1) The asset is never discovered No inventory, no hints, no platform list. The crypto disappears from the estate. 2) The asset is discovered but inaccessible Family finds 'a wallet', a device, an exchange account, but lacks the exact combination of steps and codes. 3) The asset is accessed unsafely Executors get tricked by impersonation and 'recovery help', or they take actions that trigger avoidable risk (panic transfers, clicking links, using unsafe devices).

A simple executor-ready crypto process

Step 1: Create an inventory that survives death At minimum: • platform list and identifiers, • wallet types used, • where evidence lives, • which devices matter. Step 2: Define roles and lawful authority Decide (in advance) who will: • locate the documentation, • coordinate with solicitors/accountants, • handle technical execution steps (if needed), • communicate with beneficiaries. Step 3: Provide a safe execution pathway This should include: • clean devices, • two-channel verification for any 'support' interaction, • a 'pause rule' for urgent requests, • logging of every step taken. Step 4: Reduce choices at the worst moment The goal is not to teach crypto. The goal is to create a plan that can be followed with minimal judgement calls.

How professionals can reduce chaos now

If you advise HNW clients, you can proactively reduce estate friction by offering: • a 'crypto discovery and documentation' session, • a continuity pack approach, • a review cadence aligned to life events. The estate will not get simpler. The process must.

Where Bitzo fits

Bitzo gives professionals a structured, non-custodial workflow to make crypto: • discoverable, • documentable, • executable (when needed), • safer against scams and impersonation. This reduces family conflict, reduces time drain, and improves the chance that assets are actually recovered into the estate. Related reading: Inheritance, How It Works, and For Advisers.