Bitcoin Estate Planning: How to Protect and Pass Down Your Digital Assets
What happens to your Bitcoin when you’re no longer around to manage it? That’s the question many investors overlook—and the focus of this episode of Trust This.
Asset Protection Attorney Joe Seagle sits down with Lindsay Faust of River.com to break down how Bitcoin fits into a comprehensive estate planning and asset protection strategy. As more investors allocate capital into digital assets, understanding how to properly structure, secure, and transfer Bitcoin has become essential.
Lindsay explains why River.com has taken a Bitcoin-only approach, emphasizing its decentralized nature, fixed supply of 21 million coins, and long-term resilience compared to other cryptocurrencies. The discussion highlights how Bitcoin differs from fiat currency, particularly in its resistance to inflation and centralized control—making it an increasingly attractive store of value.
The episode also covers smart Bitcoin investing strategies, including dollar-cost averaging, long-term holding, and removing emotion from market volatility. Lindsay outlines how River simplifies the investment process through recurring purchases, zero-fee incentives, and automated tools designed to build wealth over time.
A major focus is on integrating Bitcoin into trusts and LLCs. Many investors fail to plan for how their digital assets will be handled upon death or incapacity. Lindsay shares how River streamlines onboarding for entities, provides secure cold storage custody, and ensures a smooth transition of assets to heirs—solving one of the biggest challenges in crypto estate planning.
The conversation also explores the future of “banking with Bitcoin,” where users can earn interest, pay bills, and even direct deposit income while continuing to grow their holdings. This dual-currency approach—saving in Bitcoin while spending in dollars—represents a shift in how individuals manage wealth in a digital economy.
If you’re an entrepreneur, real estate investor, or professional holding Bitcoin, this episode provides practical insights into protecting your digital assets, reducing risk, and building a long-term wealth strategy that extends beyond your lifetime.
Watch the full episode of Trust This to see how these strategies work in real-world scenarios and how you can start protecting your Bitcoin today.
💬 Connect with River.com and Linsday Faust:
📱614.381.4876 | 🔗 https://river.com
Hey, good morning. Good evening. Good night. Good afternoon. Wherever you may be listening to this or watching this today, I want to welcome Lindsay Faust from River.com, River Financial, to the show today to talk to us about Bitcoin and what River has to do with your Bitcoin. River is a U.S.-based, Bitcoin-focused financial platform helping individuals and businesses buy, sell, and securely store Bitcoin.
It offers services like brokerage, custody, recurring investments, and lightning payments, all designed for long-term investors. But what sets River apart is its Bitcoin-only approach. It doesn’t mess with Ethereum or any of the other meme coins that may be out there. They have a strong emphasis on transparency and security and a simple client-first experience. Lindsay is a relationship manager at River where she works with private clients and businesses to integrate Bitcoin into their long-term wealth strategies. She focuses on trusts and LLCs, frequently partnering with law firms like ours to help navigate incorporating Bitcoin into estate plans. So, Lindsay, I’d like to welcome you to the show today. How are you doing?
Great, thanks so much for having me.
Great. Well, we’ll just jump right into it. I understand that River has made a very intentional decision to focus only on Bitcoin. Can you break down why Bitcoin stands apart from other cryptocurrencies?
Yeah, I mean, Bitcoin stands apart from crypto in a few simple ways. With Bitcoin, there’s no one in charge. It’s decentralized, and most cryptos have a company or maybe a team behind them making these decisions, and Bitcoin just doesn’t. There’s no CEO, there’s no headquarters. It’s just a network of people all over the world that are running it together.
There’s also a fixed supply of Bitcoin, so it’s inherently scarce. There will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin. You can’t print more of it. A lot of other cryptos can change their rules or their supply over time, so it just kind of eats away at the value of it, kind of like what we’re seeing with the U.S. dollar.
It’s also just been around the longest. It was the first of all of them and it’s survived so much over the years, whether it’s huge price swings, seeing it crash completely, or governments trying to ban it. Because of this, it’s really been battle-tested over the years and it’s still here and going strong.
Yeah, I hold Bitcoin. Full disclosure, I have some Bitcoin. I have some Ethereum too, but it’s mostly Bitcoin. That’s the only cryptocurrency I’ve ever put my money into. It’s sort of the original of cryptocurrencies. I’ve always thought of that too, that 21 million coins only. And what I’m hearing now is because energy is getting so expensive, a lot of our crypto miners, our clients who own mining server farms, have pulled the plug because the cost of energy has gotten so expensive that it’s just not worth what they would make from the cryptocurrency.
With that fixed supply out there, it’s even different from gold because there’s only so much that’s ever going to be created. How should investors think about that in contrast to fiat currency or other cryptocurrencies that just have unlimited supply?
Yeah, Bitcoin really allows you to own something that can’t be debased or printed away. We’re continuously seeing our purchasing power decrease over time. The median cost of a home in 2000 in the U.S. was around $165,000. Today it’s about $400,000. This has everything to do with money printing fueling inflation.
The Federal Reserve can create money out of thin air, and it’s affecting our bank accounts and our futures. With Bitcoin, an entire network would have to agree to change its supply. If they created more than 21 million, they’d essentially be agreeing to devalue their own holdings, which makes that scenario extremely unlikely.
Yeah, it’s not even like corporate stock where they can issue more shares and dilute value. From an educational standpoint, how are you helping clients, especially those new to Bitcoin, gain confidence in it as a legitimate long-term asset?
I work with a lot of clients who are brand new to Bitcoin and eager to get started. We go over education during our initial calls, but it’s also about strategy and being transparent that Bitcoin is volatile. Timing the market isn’t possible. It’s really about long-term investing.
If your goal is to make a quick buck, Bitcoin might not be the right fit. I typically say give yourself a runway of four to five years at minimum, if not longer. Personally, I don’t plan to touch my Bitcoin until much later in life. My goal is to pass it down to future generations.
It’s about removing emotion and using tools like recurring buy orders. You choose a cadence—daily, weekly, bi-weekly—and buy regardless of price. This is dollar-cost averaging. It helps smooth out your entry over time.
At the end of the day, building Bitcoin wealth requires patience and discipline. It’s not a get-rich-quick scheme.
Yeah, I think a lot of people misunderstand that. You can buy fractions of Bitcoin. I started buying small amounts weekly instead of spending money elsewhere. Over time, that adds up.
Let’s talk about estate planning. A lot of platforms make it difficult to integrate Bitcoin into trusts. What does River do to make it more trust-friendly?
It comes down to our white-glove service. We recognize the importance of protecting legacy and making things simple for clients. Our onboarding is very streamlined. We require a short application, trust documents, and an ID. We can often set up accounts within 24 hours.
Other platforms can take weeks or months. We don’t charge onboarding fees, and we provide one-on-one support throughout the process.
Once the account is set up, clients can easily fund it, buy Bitcoin, set recurring purchases, or use advanced tools like limit orders and “supercharge” features that increase purchases during price dips.
From a custody standpoint, all Bitcoin is held in cold storage—offline and secure. We built our custody solution in-house, so we don’t rely on third parties. This ensures maximum security.
That’s important, especially with growing cybersecurity risks. So how do people move Bitcoin from other platforms to River?
Once your account is set up, you generate a receive address, then send Bitcoin from your existing platform. We always recommend starting with a test transaction before transferring the full amount.
What happens when someone passes away or becomes incapacitated?
If the account is held in a trust or LLC, we already have the documentation. When a loved one reaches out, we guide them through the process. We verify documents, help them set up their own account, and transfer assets—usually within a few business days.
It’s a smooth process designed to support families during difficult times.
That’s a big difference compared to platforms where access is lost without login credentials. Is there anything else people should know?
We offer full support, whether you’re just getting started or need help setting up your first investment. You can also sell Bitcoin and transfer funds back to your bank quickly.
We’re also building toward a “banking with Bitcoin” future. Clients can set up direct deposit, earn interest on cash in Bitcoin, and even pay bills directly from their account.
The idea is to help people save in Bitcoin while spending in dollars, creating a balanced financial strategy.
That’s great insight. I want to thank Lindsay for coming on and sharing all of this. For anyone listening, this isn’t financial or legal advice, but it’s important information if you’re thinking about how to protect and pass on your Bitcoin.
If you enjoyed this episode, make sure to like and subscribe. And until next time, trust this.
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