Most estate planning focuses on what you leave behind — who inherits your home, your savings, your possessions. But there is another dimension that rarely gets discussed: what you want to say. A letter to your partner. A note to your children. A message to a close friend. Words that would mean the world to the people who receive them, but that most of us never get around to writing. Posthumous Messages are designed to change that. They let you write personal emails to loved ones now, choose when each one is delivered, and trust that the system will send them automatically — without any action from your executor, and without the recipient needing any account or software.
What Is a Posthumous Message?
A Posthumous Message is a personal email that you compose in advance and schedule to be sent automatically after your death. Unlike a letter left in a drawer — which depends on someone finding it, recognising its importance, and actually posting it — a Posthumous Message is delivered by a system that does not forget, does not get overwhelmed by grief, and does not need to be reminded. You write the message, choose the recipient's email address, set a subject line, and decide how many days after the trigger event the message should be sent. The system does the rest.
The trigger event
Posthumous Messages are linked to YourEstateVault's Dead Man's Switch. When the switch fires and your executor verifies their identity to retrieve the Executor Pack passcode, that moment becomes day zero. Messages scheduled for day 0 are sent immediately. Messages set for day 30 are sent a month later. Messages set for day 365 arrive a year after the switch fires.
Why Not Just Write a Letter?
Letters are wonderful. But they have practical limitations. A letter in a drawer depends on someone finding it. A letter in a will becomes a public document on probate — readable by anyone who searches the probate register. A letter given to your executor requires them to remember to send it, at the right time, to the right person, while managing everything else that comes with administering an estate. Posthumous Messages remove all of those dependencies. They are stored securely on YourEstateVault's servers, encrypted at rest, and sent automatically by the platform on the schedule you set. Your executor does not need to do anything. The recipient does not need a YourEstateVault account. The message simply arrives, at the time you chose, from you.
What Can You Write?
There are no rules. Some people write a single message to their partner, to be sent the day the switch fires. Others write a series of messages — one for each child, one for a close friend, one for a sibling. Some people write messages timed to significant dates: a birthday a year away, an anniversary, a graduation. The message body is a plain email — no formatting restrictions, no character limit beyond what is practical. You can write a few lines or several paragraphs. You can be practical, emotional, funny, or all three. The only requirement is that you write it.
- A message to your partner, sent on the day the switch fires — to let them know what they meant to you
- A letter to each of your children, sent a month later — when the immediate shock has passed
- A note to a close friend who might not be part of the formal estate process
- Practical guidance for your executor — a personal note alongside the formal Executor Pack
- A message timed to a future milestone — a child's 18th birthday, a wedding anniversary, a graduation
How the Timing Works
Each message has its own delay, set in days from the trigger event. Day 0 means the message is sent as soon as the executor verifies their identity. Day 7 means it is sent one week later. Day 365 means it arrives a year after the switch fires. You can set different delays for different messages — so a message to your partner might arrive immediately, while a message to a young child might be timed for a year later, when they are better able to receive it. You can also send a test copy to your own email address at any time, so you can see exactly what the recipient will receive before you save the message.
| Delay setting | When the message is sent |
|---|---|
| 0 days | Immediately after executor verification |
| 7 days | One week after the switch fires |
| 30 days | One month after the switch fires |
| 90 days | Three months after the switch fires |
| 365 days | One year after the switch fires |
| Custom | Any number of days you choose |
What Happens If the Switch Was a False Alarm?
The Dead Man's Switch is designed with safeguards. It requires you to miss multiple check-in reminders before it fires, and it sends escalating warnings before notifying your executor. But if the switch does fire by mistake — perhaps you were ill, travelling, or simply forgot to check in — you can cancel any queued Posthumous Messages before they are sent. The Posthumous Messages page shows the activation status and includes a "Cancel pending messages" option that stops all unsent messages immediately. Any messages that have already been sent cannot be recalled, but the system gives you a clear window to act if the trigger was unintended.
Privacy and Security
Posthumous Messages are stored encrypted on YourEstateVault's servers. They are not accessible to your executor — the executor pack contains your vault data, not your messages. The messages are sent directly from YourEstateVault's email system to the recipient's email address, without passing through your executor's hands. Recipients receive a plain email from YourEstateVault on your behalf. They do not need an account, do not need to log in, and do not receive any other information about your vault. The message is simply delivered, as you wrote it.
Included with Personal Pro, Household Pro, and Business Pro
Posthumous Messages are available on the Personal Pro, Household Pro, and Business Pro plans. You can compose up to 15 messages per account, each with its own recipient, subject, body, and delivery timing. Household Pro members each get their own 15-message allowance — one per account. Extended (50) and Unlimited (250) add-ons are also available from the Subscription page.
Getting Started
Setting up Posthumous Messages takes about ten minutes. Log in to YourEstateVault, navigate to Posthumous Messages in the sidebar, and click "Add message". You will be taken to a full-page compose view where you can write your message, set the recipient's details, and choose the delivery timing. You can save as many messages as you like, up to the plan limit, and edit or delete them at any time. When you are ready, send a test copy to your own inbox to confirm the message looks exactly as you intend.
Write your first Posthumous Message today
YourEstateVault's Posthumous Messages let you say the things that matter most — delivered automatically, at the times you choose, without any action from your executor.
View all plansRelated reading
The Dead Man's Switch ExplainedPosthumous Messages are triggered by the Dead Man's Switch. This guide explains exactly how the switch works, what happens when it fires, and how your executor is notified.
Related reading
Why Estate Planning MattersPosthumous Messages are one part of a complete estate plan. This guide covers wills, LPAs, financial records, and digital assets — everything your family will need.