IPW Crypto & Digital Assets — Estate Planning Foundations
Practical guidance for crypto and digital assets in estate planning
Live online | 3.5 hours CPD | Practical resources included
Next live online workshop:
27th October 2026 - 9.30-13.00
2nd December 2026 - 9.30-13.00
19th January 2027 - 9.30-13.00
Further workshop dates for 2027 will be added as they become available.
After booking, you’ll be able to select your preferred available workshop date from your course area.
Dates are subject to availability and additional dates may be added.
What this half-day workshop is about
How do you deal with cryptocurrency and digital assets properly when they come up in an estate planning conversation?
More clients now hold cryptocurrency and other digital assets, but simply adding a question about “crypto” to the fact-find isn’t enough.
You need to know what you’re actually looking for, how clients may hold these assets, what information will be useful later — and, just as importantly, what should not end up in the ordinary client file.
This live half-day workshop gives will-writers and estate planners a practical foundation for dealing with digital assets confidently within their existing client process.
We’ll look at the terminology you genuinely need, the questions worth asking, how wallets and exchanges affect estate planning, why access and legal authority are different questions, and how poor recording can create problems for the people dealing with the estate later.
The emphasis throughout is simple:
Ask the right questions. Record the right information. Don’t create a new risk while trying to solve one.
3.5 hours CPD | Live online training | Practical tools and resources included
During the workshop we'll cover
-What cryptocurrency and digital assets actually are — without unnecessary technical jargon
- The different ways clients may hold crypto and why that matters
- Exchanges, wallets, private keys, seed/recovery phrases and 2FA
- Why “Do you own any cryptocurrency?” often isn’t enough
- How to recognise clues that a client may hold digital assets
- Practical questions to build into your existing fact-find
- The difference between ownership, access, control and authority
- Why having a password or device doesn’t automatically mean someone can or should use it
- What information is useful to record for future estate administration
- What should never be stored in the ordinary client file How poor access planning can create problems for personal representatives
- The role of the Will, Letter of Wishes and supporting digital-asset records
- How to help clients leave useful information without exposing the assets themselves
- When something needs further clarification or specialist input
- The key probate issues a will-writer should understand, without turning this into a probate-administration course
This is not a cryptocurrency investment course, and you won’t be expected to become a blockchain or wallet expert.
The aim is to give you a practical process you can use with ordinary clients as part of good estate planning.
What you'll leave with
By the end of the workshop, you should be able to:
- recognise the main types of cryptocurrency and digital asset arrangements you may encounter;
- have a more effective digital-assets conversation with clients;
- ask better questions during fact-finding;
- distinguish ownership, access, control and legal authority;
- identify information that may help personal representatives later;
- avoid recording passwords, private keys, seed phrases and other sensitive access information in the wrong place;
- understand how exchanges and self-custody create different estate-planning issues;
- recognise where the Will ends and supporting information may need to sit elsewhere;
- identify common risks before they become an administration problem; and
- build digital assets into your existing estate-planning process rather than treating them as a completely separate subject.
Most importantly, you should leave with a clearer answer to:
“What do I actually need to do differently with my next client?”
Who this workshop is for
This workshop is designed primarily for:
- will-writers;
- estate planners;
- private client professionals;
- legal professionals who want a practical grounding in crypto and digital assets; and
- probate practitioners who need the underlying knowledge before moving on to more detailed administration work.
You don’t need any technical cryptocurrency knowledge before attending.
If your main interest is what happens after death — locating assets, dealing with providers, valuation, administration decisions and practical distribution — this workshop provides the foundation for Module 2: Crypto & Digital Assets — Probate & Practical Administration.
What's included
Alongside the live 3.5-hour workshop, you’ll receive access to the online course area and a practical set of supporting resources designed for use in your day-to-day work.
These include materials covering:
- client fact-finding and digital-asset conversations;
- digital asset inventory and locator information;
- the ACE — Ask, Clarify, Extend framework;
- what should and shouldn’t be recorded;
- private keys and access planning;
- Letters of Wishes and supporting instructions;
- drafting decision support;
- a practical What to Do Monday Morning guide; and
- supporting course materials and reference guidance.
You’ll also receive a certificate of completion once the course requirements are completed.
How this fits with Workshop 2
This workshop is Module 1.
It focuses on the client while they are alive:
What do we ask? What do we clarify? What should we record? What should we avoid? What can we do now to make things easier later?
Module 2 — Crypto & Digital Assets: Probate & Practical Administration starts from a different point:
The person has died. We know — or suspect — there may be crypto. What do we do now?
Module 2 moves into preservation, locating and establishing assets, provider enquiries, valuation, administration decisions, beneficiary readiness, evidence and specialist referral.
Completion of this workshop — or equivalent prior knowledge — is therefore recommended before attending Module 2.
Professional scope
This workshop provides general education and practical professional awareness for estate-planning practitioners. It does not provide client-specific legal, tax, financial or investment advice, account access, custody or technical recovery services. Where a particular matter requires legal, tax, technical, valuation or other specialist input, appropriate professional advice should be obtained.
Curriculum
Simon Dyer
Simon Dyer is the founder of Plutus Crypto Consulting, a UK-based training and consultancy specialising in cryptocurrency, digital assets, and estate planning.
With over 25 years’ experience in financial services, operations, and professional training, he now works closely with will-writers, estate planners, probate professionals, and solicitors, helping them understand how cryptocurrency and digital assets impact wills, probate, LPAs, and client risk. He regularly delivers training for professional bodies and industry groups, and supports probate teams on real-world crypto estate cases, including complex situations involving lost access, multiple wallets, exchanges, NFTs, and decentralised finance (DeFi).
Simon is known for his clear, jargon-free approach, translating complex digital concepts into practical guidance that non-technical professionals can confidently apply with clients. His training is grounded in real case studies, current UK law, and emerging regulation, including the Property (Digital Assets) Act 2025. Alongside his consultancy work, he is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and meetups, and is the founder of one of the UK’s largest crypto education communities. This session draws on Simon’s hands-on experience helping families, executors, and professionals avoid costly mistakes and permanent loss when digital assets are not planned for properly.
He is also CEO and Co-Founder of FundRaisely, a UK-based fundraising platform that helps charities, schools, and community groups raise funds using digital tools and interactive events. Through FundRaisely, Simon works at the intersection of technology, compliance, and real-world financial impact, further grounding his training in how digital assets and systems are used outside of theory.
If you’re looking for clear, effective guidance on cryptocurrency and blockchain when dealing with your Estate Planning or Probate clients, let’s connect: LinkedIn Profile: Simon Dyer
