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Client stories

Real outcomes, told plainly.

What actually happens when a family is prepared — and what we've recovered when they weren't. Case studies from the work, shared the way we'd want our own stories handled.

Featured story · Family recovery

Ava's photos, found.

Ava, 32, lost her mother suddenly — and with her, more than 18,000 photos and videos across an iPhone and iCloud account, locked behind Face ID and two-factor authentication. No Apple Legacy Contact had been set. Without a plan, the family faced long delays or losing the memories entirely. But a plan existed.

18,000Photos and videos recovered
5 daysFrom loss to resolution
0Court orders required

The situation

Apple's privacy safeguards prevented immediate access to the device and cloud storage. No legacy contact had been designated. Without a plan, the family faced long delays — or permanent data loss.

The approach

Ava's mother had built her Directive with an account manager. Instead of storing passwords, it held:

  • A list of all her accounts
  • Where credentials lived (her password manager)
  • Her phone PIN, for controlled access
  • Executor instructions: download the iCloud originals, memorialise Facebook, share selected albums with family

The outcome

Within days, the family regained access and preserved a curated archive of memories — avoiding months of legal delays, with NYLK guiding each step.

Why it matters

Only one in four people include digital accounts in their estate plan — and it's the photos families grieve longest. Document what you have, store only your phone PIN, and guide your executor: the whole problem dissolves, without sharing a single password.

Creators & IP

Creator revenue, continued.

An Australian content creator produced videos on YouTube, hosted a Patreon community and sold merchandise via Shopify. Her online presence generated significant income — but she hadn't clarified who would own or manage her brand if she died.

5
Platforms updated
IP
Intellectual property protected
100%
Income stream uninterrupted

The situation

Digital property can't vest with executors if it can't be identified or retrieved. Channels, community platforms and storefronts each carried revenue and IP — with no inventory, no ownership notes, and no nominated digital executor.

The approach

Her Directive inventoried every platform — social accounts, intellectual property and revenue sources — with clear guidelines for each: who takes ownership, what continues, what closes, and how the brand should be represented.

The outcome

Five platforms updated to the right hands, IP protected, and the income stream uninterrupted. A creative legacy preserved — and monetised ethically, on her terms.

Business continuity

The business domain portfolio.

A sole trader ran a small online business on 14 active domain names linked to G Suite, Shopify and Xero. Only he knew the registrar logins, DNS records and billing cards — and none of it was recorded anywhere.

5 days
All domains transferred
0 days
Downtime or unable to trade
$0
Lost revenue

The situation

Without a plan, his spouse risked losing the domains and enduring months of delayed orders and financial loss. Only 6% of sole proprietors have a written succession plan — and small businesses run on digital assets: websites, email, payroll, banking, customer databases.

The approach

During his lifetime, NYLK helped him build a business Directive: every domain, registrar and renewal date catalogued; DNS notes; the cards on file; and instructions to transfer ownership to his spouse. Our concierge coordinated with his solicitor so the plan and the will spoke to each other.

The outcome

When he passed away unexpectedly, his executor had a clear checklist — update G Suite administrators, transfer the domain registrations, open Xero through the existing password manager, redirect email forwarding. All domains moved within a week. No downtime, no lost orders, no invoices slipping through the cracks.

Shared with permission. Identifying details are changed where families ask.

Digital property cannot vest with executors if it can't be identified or retrieved. The inventory is everything.
The common thread in every story above
1 in 4
People include digital accounts in their estate plan
6%
Sole traders with a written succession plan
18,000
Memories recovered in one engagement
0
Passwords NYLK has ever stored

Write a quieter story

The best case study is the one that never happens.

Every story above ends well because someone prepared — or because we were called in time. Prepare now, and your family's version is short and calm.

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