Who Would You Trust With the Passwords to Your Bank Apps?

Rotimi was on his way home from a trip when he had an accident that claimed his life, leaving behind his wife and 3 children, including a six-month-old baby. He had lost control of the car and rammed it against a tree. Having spoken to him a few minutes ago, his wife was sitting on the couch, cradling their baby when she received the news and went into shock. Hours later, his body, gadgets, belongings, and the strangled car were delivered to his family.

It took Rotimi’s wife about six months to accept the loss and pick herself back up. She was going through a drawer in their bedroom one day when she found her husband’s phone that had been kept away and switched it on. She opened the photo gallery and relieved some memories as tears trickled down her face. It was when she opened some of his bank and saving apps that it hit her: she didn’t know his passwords. They had agreed that Piggyvest was for saving and she didn’t really have cause to use his bank app – she had her money and he’d always provided for the family too.  

So how will Rotimi’s wife get this money out without much bank hassle of proving his death? 

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A while back, I was on a call with my brother and I told him I’d love to share my passwords with him. He asked why, and I told him I didn’t know when death would come knocking. Recently, I’ve been contemplating the fragility of life, and how it delicately hangs in the balance. Yet some of us don’t have people in our lives with whom we can share important things like our passwords. Sometimes, it’s not even a matter of trust, it is also negligence – the belief that we won’t die young, and also being careless about putting certain documentation in place. While registering my Pocket wallet, I was not asked to input my next of kin’s details. I didn’t give it much thought until I read a story of how some children struggled to retrieve their mother’s money from the bank after her demise. 

I imagined myself in their position; if I happen to die now, my family will have to go through the process of proving my death before they can get some funds out. No one wishes for untimely death, still, I believe it is important to have someone in our lives with whom we can trust enough to share our most sacred/concealed information and, yes, that includes passwords. I understand that people might have had the worst experiences from disclosing certain personal info – it boils down to how incredibly flawed we are as humans – but it is worth thinking about. Who is that person in your circle you can share this with? 

For a family like mine, I believe if I die now, the little money I have will cater for a purpose or two. That is why I am not hesitant to share mine. I also have a certain level of trust for my family, one that I understand many do not have. After all, we have watched a lot of Nollywood movies to know that some family members and friends can go to the extreme of harming you simply because they have access to your funds or are aware of it. Still, we have seen how not having a will (that’s a conversation for another day) or hiding important documents or passwords can cost a family so much when the breadwinner dies. 

So it is important we check and ask ourselves if we really have someone we can trust with our passwords or other essential things. Will they do justice to our funds and properties when we die, or when we are not around and entrust them to take charge? If the answer is no, then you have to re-check your circle and ask yourself why you are surrounded by untrustworthy people and what you can do about it. No one is too young to start thinking about this.

The story of Rotimi serves as a reminder of how unexpectedly life can be cut short, leaving loved ones grappling with the aftermath. It is a sobering thought that many of us lack people we can wholeheartedly entrust with important matters. So while acknowledging the flaws inherent in human nature, it is crucial to evaluate our relationships. It is worthwhile to ponder whether there exists a person capable of safeguarding our legacy and honouring our wishes when we are no longer present.

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