A Bitcoin Letter to Heirs
Drafting a Letter to Heirs About Bitcoin Access
This memo is published by CustodyStress, an independent Bitcoin custody stress test that produces reference documents for individuals, families, and professionals.
What a Letter Contains
A holder decides to write a letter addressed to heirs about bitcoin. The letter attempts to put inheritance information into written form. The holder is present and calm. No emergency exists.
This memo looks at what a bitcoin letter to heirs typically contains. It also describes what becomes visible about a custody system when such a letter is written.
What a Letter Contains
A bitcoin letter to heirs typically attempts to explain several things. It may describe what bitcoin is. It may describe that the holder owns some. It may describe where information is stored or who to contact.
The letter tries to translate private knowledge into shared language. The holder knows the system. The heirs do not. The letter attempts to bridge that gap.
A bitcoin inheritance letter is a coordination document. It tells heirs that something exists and points toward where to look. It does not provide access by itself.
What Writing Reveals
When a holder writes a letter to heirs bitcoin holdings, the writing process reveals certain things. The holder discovers what is easy to explain. The holder discovers what is hard to explain.
Terms that seem obvious to the holder may be difficult to write clearly. Steps that seem simple to the holder may be hard to describe. The act of writing forces the holder to see the system from outside.
The letter to heirs for bitcoin often exposes gaps where knowledge exists only in the holder's memory. Writing makes these gaps visible.
The Holder Writes a Letter
The system in a scenario involves a holder who writes a bitcoin letter to heirs. The holder sits down to explain. The holder writes under conditions where prior knowledge is already present.
The letter reflects holder-present understanding. The holder knows what each sentence means. The holder knows what each reference points to. No confusion is observed while writing.
A designated heir reading the same letter would start from a different position. The heir does not know what terms mean. The heir does not know what references point to. Recovery in a scenario where the heir reads the letter would differ from the holder's experience writing it.
A Letter Is Not Access
A bitcoin letter to heirs describes where things are. It does not provide the things themselves. The letter may say "seed phrase in safe deposit box." The letter does not open the box.
The letter is a coordination document. It tells heirs what exists and where to look. It does not replace custody mechanisms. It does not provide keys, passwords, or authority.
A letter to heirs bitcoin may help heirs know what to seek. It does not give them what they seek.
Memory Fills Gaps
The system in a scenario involves a holder writing a bitcoin inheritance letter. The holder writes "contact my friend John about the wallet." The holder knows which John. The holder knows which wallet.
The letter does not reveal that these details are vague to others. The holder's memory fills the gaps. The letter feels clear because the holder's knowledge clarifies it.
Without the holder's memory, the gaps remain. "Contact John" does not say which John. "The wallet" does not say which wallet. The letter did not test whether heirs can understand it alone.
Clarity to the Writer
A bitcoin letter to heirs often feels clear to the holder. The holder reads what they wrote. The holder understands every word. The holder sees no problems.
This clarity reflects the holder's position. The holder wrote the letter. The holder knows the context. The holder can fill in what the words leave out.
An heir reading the same words would have different clarity. Different starting knowledge produces different understanding.
Time and the Letter
A letter to heirs for bitcoin is written at a specific moment. The holder remembers everything at that moment. Details are fresh. Context is complete.
Time changes these conditions. The holder may change custody arrangements. The holder may move backups. The holder may change who is involved. The letter captures a moment. It does not update itself.
A bitcoin inheritance letter written today may not match reality years from now. The letter did not change. The system did.
What Heirs Would Experience
The holder writes and sees a clear letter. An heir would see something different. Terms that seem obvious to the holder may confuse an heir. References that seem clear to the holder may puzzle an executor.
An heir reading the letter would start from a different position. They would not know terminology. They would not know what references point to. They would not know which parts are still current.
The holder's experience writing the letter does not predict an heir's experience reading it.
Coordination Without Security
A bitcoin letter to heirs is a coordination document. It attempts to explain what exists. It attempts to point heirs toward information. It attempts to bridge the gap between holder knowledge and heir confusion.
The letter is not a security document. It does not protect keys. It does not provide access. It does not replace custody mechanisms.
A letter to heirs bitcoin holdings may help heirs understand that something exists. It does not give heirs the ability to access what exists.
The Confidence Gap
Writing a bitcoin letter to heirs often produces confidence. The holder has written something. The holder has explained the system. The outcome is interpreted as sufficient by the holder.
This confidence reflects what the holder observed. It does not reflect what remains unobserved. The holder wrote using holder knowledge. The holder did not test using heir confusion or executor unfamiliarity.
A bitcoin inheritance letter written by the holder reveals what the holder can articulate. It does not reveal what heirs will understand.
Conclusion
A bitcoin letter to heirs attempts to put inheritance information into written form. The letter describes what exists and points toward where to look. The act of writing forces the holder to translate private knowledge into shared language.
The letter often feels clear to the holder because the holder already knows the system. Heirs reading the same letter would start from a different position. The letter does not provide access by itself.
The result of writing a letter to heirs for bitcoin reflects what the holder can articulate at the time of writing. It does not show what heirs will understand later. The letter is a coordination document, not a security document.
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