Despite the issues, there are still valid uses for a safe deposit box. I live in a highly fire-prone area and keep a backup drive with family photos and documents in a safe deposit box in a local place that won't burn when I do.
So long as you don’t expect the drive to be there when you retrieve it, sure. You should probably also encrypt any sensitive document on it. Here’s one example. Just one:
Can lawyers be trusted with this? Do they also properly manage their own death and other events? I don't have any experience and I'm genuinely curious how all this works.
Three reasons:
- Banks fubar safe deposit boxes all of the time, in a variety of ways.
- Once the bank figures out that you’re dead, it’s sealed without a court order.
- As you get older it’s more likely that you’ll screw up payments, lose keys or codes, etc.
Also, the attorney will advise your loved ones on what they can do. For example, you need a power of attorney for many things.