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Your Digital Undertaker: Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada
YOUR DIGITAL UNDERTAKER: Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada
If you are an adult Canadian who uses e-mail and surfs the internet, this book is for you. In a unique and humorous way, this former military officer and tech executive shares what she’s learned about the estate industry and the taboo topic of preparing for one’s own death. Preparing for death doesn’t need to be scary or foreboding. It can actually be liberating and energizing. Join Your Digital Undertaker in an exploration of death in the digital age in Canada, which lifts the lid on how the deathcare and estate industry works today, and tackles it through the project management and digital lens.
This exploration includes simple diagrams, easy to understand scenarios, and user options that require only a couple of mouse clicks. You’ll learn your digital life is not isolated from your physical life, as technology is the new player at the estate planning table. Cracking the code to digital death and its afterlife requires deciphering the code for your regular and physical life. By the end of this book, you should feel armed with questions and a perspective on how to tackle your digital life in the context of your overall estate.
You might even walk away inspired to get on with dealing with your will and estate plan with estate planning professionals. If you are a named executor in a will or appointed in a Power of Attorney, this book is for you as well, as it might motivate you to ask a lot more questions about your role before you get handed “digital hell in a hand basket”. For those having the challenging conversations with their parents, family members or clients, let Your Digital Undertaker ask some of the basic questions and open the door for a meaningful discussion.
If you are an adult Canadian who uses e-mail and surfs the internet, this book is for you. In a unique and humorous way, this former military officer and tech executive shares what she’s learned about the estate industry and the taboo topic of preparing for one’s own death. Preparing for death doesn’t need to be scary or foreboding. It can actually be liberating and energizing. Join Your Digital Undertaker in an exploration of death in the digital age in Canada, which lifts the lid on how the deathcare and estate industry works today, and tackles it through the project management and digital lens.
This exploration includes simple diagrams, easy to understand scenarios, and user options that require only a couple of mouse clicks. You’ll learn your digital life is not isolated from your physical life, as technology is the new player at the estate planning table. Cracking the code to digital death and its afterlife requires deciphering the code for your regular and physical life. By the end of this book, you should feel armed with questions and a perspective on how to tackle your digital life in the context of your overall estate.
You might even walk away inspired to get on with dealing with your will and estate plan with estate planning professionals. If you are a named executor in a will or appointed in a Power of Attorney, this book is for you as well, as it might motivate you to ask a lot more questions about your role before you get handed “digital hell in a hand basket”. For those having the challenging conversations with their parents, family members or clients, let Your Digital Undertaker ask some of the basic questions and open the door for a meaningful discussion.
- GenresNonfiction
268 pages, Paperback
Published January 18, 2019
6 people are currently reading
146 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Hartung
4 books2 followers“Your Digital Undertaker - Exploring Death in the Digital Age in Canada.” The goal of this book is to move the needle on the number of Canadians with a will and improve executor readiness in navigating their future role in the digital age. The world has gone digital, and so has our estates. Everyone needs a will, and in the digital age, your estate now includes your entire digital life. This is the first book of its kind that draws the reader into the world of estate planning with a digital twist, bringing the two worlds together. For the executors, let it motivate you to ask a lot more questions about your role before you get handed “digital hell in a hand basket.” For those having the challenging conversations with their parents, family members or clients, let Your Digital Undertaker ask some of the basic questions and open the door for a meaningful discussion. www.yourdigitalundertaker.ca
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 29, 2025
I absolutely loved this book! Written from a project management framework and perspective - totally up my alley! So organized. Such clear language and design principles used. Heaven to read for me.
I love the attention to two audiences: the person who prepares for death and the person who will be their executor - basically winding up the life after the person is gone. While reading this book I kept both audiences in mind, doing the work while alive to make the work easier for the executor who follows.
I love the advice to employ professionals when and as needed - don't try to do the executor role alone.
I love the drawings, the charts, the questions to ask.
I thought I was organized in this regard by having all my documents in folders in a safe, but this book takes me to another level! There is more work to do - and I am up for it!
A must read in my mind for anyone who agrees to be an executor.
The book was published in 2018 and times change so I take this book as a basic understanding of what to do in preparation for death but also with cautions that legislation can have changed.
I just learned so much in reading this book and am so thankful to Sharon Hartung who shared her journey as her mother's executor and took the effort to write this book about what she learned along the way.
I love the attention to two audiences: the person who prepares for death and the person who will be their executor - basically winding up the life after the person is gone. While reading this book I kept both audiences in mind, doing the work while alive to make the work easier for the executor who follows.
I love the advice to employ professionals when and as needed - don't try to do the executor role alone.
I love the drawings, the charts, the questions to ask.
I thought I was organized in this regard by having all my documents in folders in a safe, but this book takes me to another level! There is more work to do - and I am up for it!
A must read in my mind for anyone who agrees to be an executor.
The book was published in 2018 and times change so I take this book as a basic understanding of what to do in preparation for death but also with cautions that legislation can have changed.
I just learned so much in reading this book and am so thankful to Sharon Hartung who shared her journey as her mother's executor and took the effort to write this book about what she learned along the way.
April 10, 2019
I loved the way this book was separated! I learned so much and I feel prepared to deal with a death if god forbids it happens. I had no clue it involved so much.
May 6, 2019
Sharon Hartung recently contacted me and asked if I would be interested in reviewing her book, Your Digital Undertaker.
As I am in the freelance editing business, I was delighted with the opportunity.
But, let me add that Sharon and I have never met. Although we both worked at IBM, it was my approach to editing with a project management approach mentioned in my LinkedIn profile that resonated with her because what makes Sharon’s book unique is her project management approach to one’s death project.
That is correct––one’s own death project. And, let’s face it, we all have one.
There were several things that appealed to me about Sharon’s book, not the least of which is her sense of humour, and the level of detail that she brings to the topic. She is after all a former military officer, a former IBM executive, and a certified project manager. If this triumvirate doesn’t spell structure and discipline, I don’t know what does.
The premise of the book is based the notion that “dealing with our digital lives is predicated on understanding how death works in the physical world for our non-digital assets.” Starting with what we know and progressively elaborating sounds like good project management to me.
After sharing her personal journey of her mom’s death, she delves into detail on estate planning in the physical world, and provides real gold with the focus in chapter seven, “Death with a Side of Digital.”
Here, she makes the point that “estate planning for digital assets requires the same rigor you would apply to dealing with your physical assets,” and this is for all of us who use email, social media, and online accounts for memberships or utilities. She takes this one step further by identifying the additional requirements that a super-tech user with digital assets of financial value or significant complexity might need.
Although she uses catchy titles such as “Death Never Comes at a Good Time” and “Your Body Can’t Bury Itself,” with all kidding aside, this is an extremely practical guide and resource of your death project.
Her structured approach provides a consistent, actionable and practical toolkit, although she never claims to be an expert and underscores the need for professional resources for legal and taxation advice in the estate planning process.
She provides a hefty chapter on taxation and if you ever considered spending a Saturday afternoon researching and flow charting the death-related tax processes at the Canada Revenue Agency website, you needn’t bother as Sharon has done this for you.
This is a toolkit for the living to assist your executor in managing your biggest project––which is winding up your life.
We all know how tough it is when we lose a loved one, and although following the approach in Your Digital Undertaker won’t ease their emotional pain, it will make their job as executor easier.
As I am in the freelance editing business, I was delighted with the opportunity.
But, let me add that Sharon and I have never met. Although we both worked at IBM, it was my approach to editing with a project management approach mentioned in my LinkedIn profile that resonated with her because what makes Sharon’s book unique is her project management approach to one’s death project.
That is correct––one’s own death project. And, let’s face it, we all have one.
There were several things that appealed to me about Sharon’s book, not the least of which is her sense of humour, and the level of detail that she brings to the topic. She is after all a former military officer, a former IBM executive, and a certified project manager. If this triumvirate doesn’t spell structure and discipline, I don’t know what does.
The premise of the book is based the notion that “dealing with our digital lives is predicated on understanding how death works in the physical world for our non-digital assets.” Starting with what we know and progressively elaborating sounds like good project management to me.
After sharing her personal journey of her mom’s death, she delves into detail on estate planning in the physical world, and provides real gold with the focus in chapter seven, “Death with a Side of Digital.”
Here, she makes the point that “estate planning for digital assets requires the same rigor you would apply to dealing with your physical assets,” and this is for all of us who use email, social media, and online accounts for memberships or utilities. She takes this one step further by identifying the additional requirements that a super-tech user with digital assets of financial value or significant complexity might need.
Although she uses catchy titles such as “Death Never Comes at a Good Time” and “Your Body Can’t Bury Itself,” with all kidding aside, this is an extremely practical guide and resource of your death project.
Her structured approach provides a consistent, actionable and practical toolkit, although she never claims to be an expert and underscores the need for professional resources for legal and taxation advice in the estate planning process.
She provides a hefty chapter on taxation and if you ever considered spending a Saturday afternoon researching and flow charting the death-related tax processes at the Canada Revenue Agency website, you needn’t bother as Sharon has done this for you.
This is a toolkit for the living to assist your executor in managing your biggest project––which is winding up your life.
We all know how tough it is when we lose a loved one, and although following the approach in Your Digital Undertaker won’t ease their emotional pain, it will make their job as executor easier.
November 2, 2019
This book is essential reading for anyone mortal. Yes, you! If you have an email account, a library card, pay bills online, have online subscriptions, receive email newsletters, have apps on your smart phone, have a Goodreads account (!), then you have digital assets that need to be taken care of when you shuffle off this mortal coil.
This book helps you do the responsible and loving thing- get your digital estate in order. And not just your digital estate, your estate in general.
Although the book is about digital assets, the author explains and to guides you through estate planning in general using solid project management methodology in simple, easy to follow steps.
I highly recommend you read this book and begin your death project. It won’t kill you, I promise!
This book helps you do the responsible and loving thing- get your digital estate in order. And not just your digital estate, your estate in general.
Although the book is about digital assets, the author explains and to guides you through estate planning in general using solid project management methodology in simple, easy to follow steps.
I highly recommend you read this book and begin your death project. It won’t kill you, I promise!
July 19, 2020
This is an easy-to-read guide that more Canadians should take the time to read. It brings order to a part of life that few choose to map out in advance. It presents a structured and rational way of thinking about your end of life plans, that personally brought me a lot of comfort and relief to consider in this level of detail. If nothing else, it presents a solid argument for why Canadians of any age should plan out the end of their life with as much effort and consideration as they do with any other part of being a responsible adult.
February 28, 2024
If this book doesn’t inspire to get your affairs in order I don’t know what will. As thoughtful and thorough the book is, it’s also ALOT… perhaps too much and a bit repetitive. Regardless, I will be using it to guide me in getting my executor planning together.
June 17, 2019
Ms. Hartung's book is an eye-opening exploration of what happens when a person dies without a will in Canada. Based on her own personal experiences handling her mother's estate, this is a very readable and straight-forward book that can be used as a workbook for anyone starting their own estate planning journey, or by an Estate Professional wanting to have these conversations with their clients.
With her background as an executive and an engineer, she has written an extensively researched book that is well thought out and nicely structured, with easy to use graphics, charts, and tables.
The book brilliantly explains the impact of "digital" on our lives and our estates. This is at the forefront of the estate industry in bringing this very important topic to our attention. Our digital footprints are ever expanding in our technology-driven world, and it is critical that we consider this in our estate planning, powers of attorney, and wills.
A beautiful book that will stand out on your bookshelf.
With her background as an executive and an engineer, she has written an extensively researched book that is well thought out and nicely structured, with easy to use graphics, charts, and tables.
The book brilliantly explains the impact of "digital" on our lives and our estates. This is at the forefront of the estate industry in bringing this very important topic to our attention. Our digital footprints are ever expanding in our technology-driven world, and it is critical that we consider this in our estate planning, powers of attorney, and wills.
A beautiful book that will stand out on your bookshelf.
February 15, 2020
This book is a decent and comprehensive overview of the subject. I would consider this a good starting book for any Canadian looking to understand the impact of death and what to do to prepare your estate and executors for that eventuality. I had read "The Canadian Guide to Will and Estate Planning" prior to this book, so there was some duplication, but much more content related to digital assets and I picked up a couple of good additional pieces of information.
One major frustration with the ebook, is that none of the URL references in the Endnotes are actual hyperlinks. This forced me to to go through multiple steps to get the URL into a browser. This omission is unforgivable in a ebook of this nature. Also, at the end of the book is a table (Table 3: Your Digital Undertaker Question Matrix) that gets split by the e-reader so it's impossible to follow. I went to the books companion website (https://yourdigitalundertaker.ca) hoping that there would be a PDF of the table, but there wasn't.
One major frustration with the ebook, is that none of the URL references in the Endnotes are actual hyperlinks. This forced me to to go through multiple steps to get the URL into a browser. This omission is unforgivable in a ebook of this nature. Also, at the end of the book is a table (Table 3: Your Digital Undertaker Question Matrix) that gets split by the e-reader so it's impossible to follow. I went to the books companion website (https://yourdigitalundertaker.ca) hoping that there would be a PDF of the table, but there wasn't.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews