Survivability Doctrine
Bitcoin Custody Under Incapacity (Not Just Death)
Most U.S. estate plans focus on what happens after you die. But for Bitcoiners, the period between health and death—incapacity—is often the most dangerous "living failure" mode. Whether due to stroke, dementia, hospitalisation, or legal detention, if you are unable to sign a transaction, your Bitcoin is functionally lost. We help families build resilience against incapacity failure modes.
For scope, risks, and our alignment with US frameworks, see Scope & Risks and Authority & Standards (US).
Common Incapacity Failure Modes
Medical Crisis
A stroke or accident can occur in seconds. If your custody setup requires a specific physical presence or complex mental recall, your family is locked out at the exact moment they may need liquidity most.
Cognitive Decline
Dementia or Alzheimer's introduces a slow-motion failure. Memory loss can make complex seed phrase schemes or passphrase recall impossible, leading to irreversible asset loss before anyone notices.
Physical Detention
Travel accidents or legal detention can result in being physically unable to access your hardware devices. If you are the only person who can execute a move, your assets are frozen indefinitely.
The PoA Gap
A Power of Attorney gives someone legal authority to act. It does not give them the ability to bypass multisig or recover a lost device. Legal authority without technical capability is ineffective.
Temporary vs Permanent Incapacity
Temporary incapacity (e.g. surgery, short hospitalisation) may require someone to pay bills or move funds on a timeline. Permanent incapacity (e.g. severe cognitive decline) requires succession and long-term handover. In both cases, Power of Attorney alone does not create signing capability—multisig plus documented procedure does. Multisig (e.g. 2-of-3) means a designated co-signer can execute with the protocol when you cannot, without waiting for probate.
Why Exchanges Freeze Accounts
When the account holder is incapacitated, exchanges often require identity verification or court orders before releasing funds; accounts can be frozen during investigation or while the platform awaits legal documentation. Self-custody with collaborative security avoids that single point of control: designated co-signers can execute per the agreed protocol, without waiting for an institution to unfreeze.
Building for Living Failure
Instead of optimising for "if I die," we help you architect for "if I can't sign." This requires a shift from individual expertise to institutional-grade systems.
Execution Infrastructure
Collaborative security is a robust way to plan for incapacity. By sharing responsibility across multiple signers, no single mistake, including your own incapacity, has to lead to loss.
Multisig Redundancy (Before Death)
A 2-of-3 setup ensures that even if you are medically incapacitated, the remaining two keys (e.g., TBA and a trusted partner) can still execute a recovery for your beneficiaries. Multisig means a designated co-signer can execute with the protocol when you cannot, without waiting for probate.
Managed Handover
We provide the orientation and training for your fiduciaries before a crisis occurs, so they know exactly who to call and what steps to take during high-pressure events.