How to make sure your bitcoin reaches the next generation

[aoluain]

The best and most convenient way to manage Bitcoin inheritance is with a
timelock. If you own a Trezor hardware wallet you can avail of its "Locktime"
feature as follows:

https://trezor.io/learn/supported-assets/bitcoin/locktime-in-trezor-suite

Locktime can also be used to set funds to transfer if no action is taken by the user.
This could be useful for easy inheritance planning for cryptocurrency: send a
transaction to an address owned by your next of kin with Locktime set for one year.
If you are still alive and well when the transaction is due to be sent, resend the same
transaction but extend the Locktime by one more year.

There is another example of the benefits of taking full ownership of your
Bitcoin, you are in control of storage and how its managed.

[Floxynice]

Third, do not put sensitive information like private keys on your will. But rather put instructions how to access those sensitive information with your lawyer and in the will. The private keys should be stored somewhere safe and secured.

Fourth, choose your trustee well. Make sure your trustee is someone who understands crypto. So if you are planning on giving your crypto to your kids is that you can already teach them way before you pass.

The third and fourth paragraphs are the parts I find very interesting. Many people are still faced with the dilemma of having to deal with with including their bitcoin assets in their will and exposing their private keys to a third party in the process of doing what they think is right for their children. Now it is understandable, only clues and instructions should be kept with the lawyer, the children will sort out the rest themselves.

Accessing and managing the bitcoins will not be easy if the children do not understand what they need to know about Bitcoin and that is where the fourth paragraph answers it all. Prepare your children for the future, teach them now so it will not be difficult for them later.

[Rengga Jati]

Talking about this is indeed quite important, considering we don't know when we will die. If children are already adults and understand about wills, it will be easier to address all of this, because we really need to teach and explain them first. However, if they die when they are still young, this can be quite complicated.

If we still have a partner, whether a wife or husband, this should be easier, as at least we understand our partner's character so we can trust them or not.

There are several risks and pros and cons to using someone you can trust to create a will, because we never know if they will bear fruit after we die. However, whatever it is, there are definitely risks involved, so it's better to prepare for all of this well, so that at least if something happens suddenly, we can still be assured that our children are in good condition.

[palle11]

This is what I found interesting. What if the lawyer goes rogue and steals your bitcoins? What are the checks you've got to implement to make sure that that doesn't happen? If the lawyer could gain access to the private keys the coins may not reach your heir. Are there no better ways of doing this?

A lawyer can be sued for misconduct of the will in his care and he can face severe punishment or disbarment because he has violated the ethics of protecting the interest of the client. He can be sued for misrepresentation by the executors of the will. The executors are the people who are the interested parties in the will. So it will be an unethical practice for a lawyer to act that way, such lawyer must surely be punished.

I think the best way is to inform another trusted person apart from the lawyer on the disclosures on the will.

[Maslate]

Talking about this is indeed quite important, considering we don't know when we will die. If children are already adults and understand about wills, it will be easier to address all of this, because we really need to teach and explain them first. However, if they die when they are still young, this can be quite complicated.

If we still have a partner, whether a wife or husband, this should be easier, as at least we understand our partner's character so we can trust them or not.

There are several risks and pros and cons to using someone you can trust to create a will, because we never know if they will bear fruit after we die. However, whatever it is, there are definitely risks involved, so it's better to prepare for all of this well, so that at least if something happens suddenly, we can still be assured that our children are in good condition.

If the kids are already in their grade school, we can start teaching them slowly by exposing them about the nature of bitcoin. The problem is, bitcoin is boring, so we need to be more creative in teaching bitcoin to our kids, like integrating play to learn. Maybe if this is done consistently, it will be easy for them to understand bitcoin when they are already in higher age. Otherwise, we should find another trustee more than our spouse if we think our own family is not yet interested in bitcoin or they are not ready to learn yet.

[coinlary]

Actually, I know exactly what the time lock is. What I mean is, why did they recommend the time lock to newbies since it only delays the transaction to get confirmation? Look, if I use the timelock on my son's wallet, there's a possibility my son will lose access to this wallet because he doesn't know much about timelock or possibly forgot to make a backup of his wallet. It means it's more riskier than having your own backup with a little guide on how to retrieve it, withdraw it, and exchange it into cash that you safely hide in your vault.
I am more confident on this to inherit my son than using timelock.

I thought as much.
Well, it's your son. There's nothing bad with letting him know where your key/seed is stored , but I do think he might just get his hands on it too early. Time lock on the other hand, isn’t that complicated as before. Wallets now support it, and you could just teach your son how to use it, just like you did or would for the seed.
You can use Testnet for testing, just to make sure he gets it on trial, just like I did in the particular thread. Imo, I just think it's much better for inheritance methods. The fun part is that you can always tamper with it in case you need to make a new decision about it.

[Faisal2202]

Fourth, choose your trustee well. Make sure your trustee is someone who understands crypto. So if you are planning on giving your crypto to your kids is that you can already teach them way before you pass.

Lastly, consider taxes that would come with selling your crypto.

I have few doge and I will not forget to update my will everytime I buy another doge haha sorry It was a joke as I don't have an amount deserve to be will but if I will have a lot of funds then I will surely move to a place with better regulations so I won't end up in jail or somewhere else just because of few corrupt people.

Therefore we must always hide our  earnings and capital so other won't get jealous because it does not mean if we are good the others will be.

Therefore I can't find a single trustee that I can trust, therefore I have to find another way which I will think of when I will realize now it is the time.

[Zanab247]

I don't know why some people will be planning to hodl their BTC for next generation without thinking if something like death occur to them, what will happen to their BTC they are hodling for next generation. Hodling BTC for long years before you can sell am not against it, and I will never against it, but you can hodl like 5 to 6 years before you can change your mind to supply to the market to make profits which is a long hodling we should encourage beginners to embrace, not next generation hodling.

I will not advise my love ones to hodl BTC for next generation, because nobody can guarantee you how many years BTC is going to live in the market before it will disappear from the market like other coins that disappear over some years.

[HelliumZ]

Bitcoin is an asset that a lot of us plan on holding for a long time and even pass on to the next generation. But how can we make sure that our coins will be accessed and used by our heirs? Here are the steps:

Fourth, choose your trustee well. Make sure your trustee is someone who understands crypto. So if you are planning on giving your crypto to your kids is that you can already teach them way before you pass.

Lastly, consider taxes that would come with selling your crypto.

The last step seems to me to be the most significant, especially if I want to leave my Bitcoin for the next generation, then I must teach my children about the security measures in my Bitcoin. I need to teach my children how to access the keys to my Bitcoin wallet. If I die for any reason, my children will definitely be able to use the Bitcoin I left behind. Or, I will have to make arrangements so that my descendants can access the Bitcoins I leave behind through someone I trust, such as a blood relative. As such, I will have to leave the security key of the Bitcoin wallet in the form of a document so that my descendants can use the Bitcoins I hold after my death.

[Somto9Light]

You are advanced to think that you are going to die soon, and you want the next generation or someone in your family to receive inheritance from the wealth that you built.

It is very funny how human beings think most times, though I won't deny the fact that I used to think like op most at times and this feeling usually comes when I looked back to see how far I have gone and also thinking  how those assets will be managed when I'm no more. After thinking to some extent I will just stop. as a matter of fact I'm still younger I hope that my grace is still very long so why having this negative thought? Though I don't know how old is op but all I could say is that if he notice that he's literally coming to age he should try to disclose his details to any of his kids maybe his first child or if he don't have any he can as well discuss it with Loved one's if he's still having a good time with them.

[henry_of_skalitz]

I don't know why some people will be planning to hodl their BTC for next generation without thinking if something like death occur to them, what will happen to their BTC they are hodling for next generation. Hodling BTC for long years before you can sell am not against it, and I will never against it, but you can hodl like 5 to 6 years before you can change your mind to supply to the market to make profits which is a long hodling we should encourage beginners to embrace, not next generation hodling.

I will not advise my love ones to hodl BTC for next generation, because nobody can guarantee you how many years BTC is going to live in the market before it will disappear from the market like other coins that disappear over some years.

Depends on the targets you put for yourself, if they can be reached in 4-5-6 years - why hodl for more and not set up new ones for next cycles?

[Cryptomultiplier]

When we teach our kids or benefactors well about Bitcoin and how it works, knowing how to follow our instructions as parents or guardians would come easy for them.
So if a parent has a life savings in BTC and entrusted it to a lawyer in his will, of course with regular revisitation, the kids won't find it hard to reclaim it unless such lawyers act shady.

One could even consider having a separate cold wallets for their children that they regularly funds without their notice and still HODL crypto for personal use and reasons of diversification for a reasonable future and am sure both parents and children or the next generation would stand to benefit more in their ripe seasons even before death comes.

[Maus0728]

Death is such a scary thing for many of us and I think that what really scares us is not the very thing itself but the effect it has on the people we are going to leave behind. It is a smart thing to do something about leaving things behind for the future and I believe that there are tiers or priority on how you do things. I do agree with leaving a will but I think that if you do not have the current capacity to do so, maybe doing some basic stuff will help you, I have asked my friend about this thing about updating wills, you do not have to update it like annually she said unless something has changed in a span of a year or nothing significant has changed in your estate status, if you have the money to do so, by all means do it. But if it was me, I would probably do it like this:

Tier 1:Single and/or no established family yet - I would just save my keys in my hard drive and have a physical copy written on a paper with some instructions on how to use the key phrases to access my wallet, nothing to complicated so my parents or siblings can access it without any difficulty.

Tier 2: Long-term relationship and/or established a family already - I would probably do the same except now there will be wills and probably diversification of my assets because risk has to be mitigated if not completely avoided because paying for your child's food, clothing, medicine and other daily needs in their formative years is the first priority rather than the investments themselves maybe you can be a bad parent and prioritize your investments first but I digress, in this tier, you probably should have multiple wallets that can only be accessed by different family member so as the temptation of getting all the bitcoin for one individual is avoided, do not tell them that you did that though.

Tier 3: Your kids are in college or they already have a job - If you have reached this stage in your life, congratulations! That bitcoin that you are setting aside for them is probably a good graduation gift for them so they can have a head start in life or a support when they finish their studies, if they have a job, maybe give it to them already, let them know about bitcoin while you are still alive, maybe that can be a catalyst for your bonding as a parent and a child. You can gift your wife that bitcoin you are planning to leave behind for her by using it to fund both of your retirement vacation.

[bubilas]

Bitcoin is an asset that a lot of us plan on holding for a long time and even pass on to the next generation. But how can we make sure that our coins will be accessed and used by our heirs? Here are the steps:

First of all, update your will regularly. A lot of people create their wills early on in life and then never check to update it again. Bitcoin is volatile and the crypto industry is always changing so it is essential that you update your will to reflect the recent crypto language as much as possible.

Second, consider that the state or the court may be the one to handle your wealth if you do not have a revocable living trust. It is best that you have an appointed trustee so that he or she will immediately gain access to your crypto wealth when you pass and not have the coins stuck in court.

Third, do not put sensitive information like private keys on your will. But rather put instructions how to access those sensitive information with your lawyer and in the will. The private keys should be stored somewhere safe and secured.

Fourth, choose your trustee well. Make sure your trustee is someone who understands crypto. So if you are planning on giving your crypto to your kids is that you can already teach them way before you pass.

Lastly, consider taxes that would come with selling your crypto.

Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/06/crypto-investors-estate-planning-taxes-mistakes.html

All the rules you've listed are good, but I'd like to add that I've come up with an excellent plan for storing your Bitcoin recovery phrase. However, I recommend not storing it on a flash drive (it could simply fail over time or be stolen) or on a computer (it could be hacked or the hard drive could fail). It's better to write down the 11 words in a notepad somewhere, and keep one word in your memory or on a separate piece of paper so that the 12 words aren't stored in one place. In my opinion, this will ensure good security for your wallet recovery process.

[betswift]

When we teach our kids or benefactors well about Bitcoin and how it works, knowing how to follow our instructions as parents or guardians would come easy for them.
So if a parent has a life savings in BTC and entrusted it to a lawyer in his will, of course with regular revisitation, the kids won't find it hard to reclaim it unless such lawyers act shady.

One could even consider having a separate cold wallets for their children that they regularly funds without their notice and still HODL crypto for personal use and reasons of diversification for a reasonable future and am sure both parents and children or the next generation would stand to benefit more in their ripe seasons even before death comes.

That sounda like a great idea.

I would set up such a wallet to fill it up slowly and for it to be ready for my close ones when the time comes.

It would be one heck of a present on the end of a journey

[EarnOnVictor]

I don't know about the time lock mentioned above, but it is way safer if you let your loved ones know your backup but keep it in a safety vault.

The only thing is that they can't inherit it until whenever you want, so you can just set a time you think it's enough to inherit it, Dead or Alive.

I made a guide using Electrum (nLockTime ):
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5566222.msg66081539#msg66081539

LoyceV locktime discussion thread : https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5180850.0

Good suggestion you have there, and I went through the link you added on the local board as well. Though I knew timelock, I've not had a reason to use it before and I have not even thought of it as a way to pass an inheritance (dead or alive). I'm sure that if well thought of, one will certainly find the one that suits their plans between the absolute and relative options.

[Jatiluhung]

The method suggested by OP is quite good. However, I don't like involving outsiders in matters like this, even if it's a legal representative. So, I prefer that my loved ones know where my safe is and that they know everything of value is in there, including my bitcoin wallet backup phrase. And to be honest, I don't intend to keep it for long. I will directly give what I have prepared to my children (if I have any) when they have their own lives, such as when they are married or when they are old enough, even if they are not yet married. I will give it to them when they are in need of capital or something similar. And let them decide whether to use it or save it for their own children.

I prefer to distribute all my assets while we are still not too old but the children are already adults. Because after that, we can be more free as parents. And the children will no longer think about the inheritance, which can sometimes cause disputes. Especially since this is about Bitcoin, whose value may be very high in the future.

[purple_sparkles]

I’m a supporter of the idea that it’s better to pass on knowledge and practical skills to children, which will allow them to earn their own wealth, so that any inheritance becomes a pleasant surprise rather than a necessity. When a person has skills, they can achieve great results on their own, but having money without knowledge often leads to losing it easily.

[tottong]

Third, do not put sensitive information like private keys on your will. But rather put instructions how to access those sensitive information with your lawyer and in the will. The private keys should be stored somewhere safe and secured.

This can be a good step in terms of providing heirs with information about our Bitcoin holdings, as it does not provide direct access.
But the next question is how can we be sure that these assets will reach our heirs if the attorney is dishonest and can't distribute them to those we leave behind.
Compared to using this method, I prefer trusting my wife because although in many cases, wives may act against our wishes, we ultimately know our wives much better than lawyers.

Write down the private key somewhere and share it with your wife when the time comes. I'm sure she'll be much more understanding about how to distribute these assets to the children we leave behind, and the children we leave behind are also part of our own flesh and blood, so it is impossible for our wives not to share the assets fairly.

[Ishicryptic]

Third, do not put sensitive information like private keys on your will. But rather put instructions how to access those sensitive information with your lawyer and in the will. The private keys should be stored somewhere safe and secured.

This is what I found interesting. What if the lawyer goes rogue and steals your bitcoins? What are the checks you've got to implement to make sure that that doesn't happen? If the lawyer could gain access to the private keys the coins may not reach your heir. Are there no better ways of doing this?

Every informed lawyers understands Bitcoin and seed phrase, if there is any clues to access your seed phrase it will be known by them, they are smart and if the lawyer is crooked they can scam your inheritors and steal your Bitcoin. I don't think that we should share our Bitcoin details with a lawyer, they are third parties, any clues about your seed phrase should be directly to the beneficiaries. If  the beneficiaries are young you can share with a trusted person not necessarily a lawyer. We should take advantage of privacy of Bitcoin and keep our Bitcoin life as private as much as we can.