I think many of us underestimate just how fragile access really is when it comes to self-custody. It’s not just a question of writing down a seed phrase — it’s about making sure that whoever needs access knows what to do, when, and how.

A few solutions I’ve seen (and sometimes implemented):

Legal crypto wills — Some jurisdictions now allow you to legally define inheritance of digital assets, including wallet details (encrypted or referenced).

Trusted sharding — Split your seed into parts (e.g. Shamir’s Secret Sharing) and give pieces to trusted parties, only usable together.

Multisig setups — Add a 2-of-3 or 3-of-5 multisig wallet where one signer is a family member or executor, the others being legal or technical custodians.

Password managers — Tools like Bitwarden (self-hosted) or KeePassX can store encrypted instructions to recover the wallet — if your heirs can access that vault.

Dead man's switch — Not perfect, but some services (or even scripts using email + smart contract triggers) can trigger instructions if you go silent too long.

Ultimately, if you’re serious about wealth protection, self-custody has to be paired with inheritance planning — otherwise your loved ones are just left with encrypted junk they can’t use.