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14 Est. Plan. & Cmty. Prop. L.J. 621 (2021-2022)
In the Crypt: The Importance of Planning for Distribution of Cryptocurrency Assets after Death

handle is hein.journals/epcplj14 and id is 637 raw text is: IN THE CRYPT: THE IMPORTANCE OF
PLANNING FOR DISTRIBUTION OF
CRYPTOCURRENCY ASSETS AFTER DEATH
Mariah Paulger*
I. INTRODUCTION................................................................................ 622
II. WHAT IS CRYPTO? .......................................................................... 624
A.   Blockchain Technology: How It Works ....................................625
B. Mining and Staking ................................................................... 626
1.   P roof    of   W ork .....................................................................627
2.   P roof    of   Stake .....................................................................628
C. Keys and Wallets....................................................................... 629
D. Types of Crypto ......................................................................... 630
1 .  B itc o in  ................................................................................  6 3 0
2. Ethereum ............................................................................ 631
3 .  C a rd a n o ..............................................................................6 3 1
4. XRP ....................................................................................632
E. Crypto Platforms ...................................................................... 633
1. Exchanges .......................................................................... 633
2. Other Third Parties ............................................................ 634
F.   Technology on the Blockchain..................................................635
1. Smart Contracts ................................................................. 635
2.   Decentralized Apps (dApps)............................................... 637
3.   Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) ..............................................637
4. Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ........................................... 639
III. HOW IS CRYPTO LEGALLY CLASSIFIED IN THE UNITED STATES? .. 640
A. Crypto Classified as Property .................................................. 641
B. Tax Treatment of Crypto as Property ....................................... 641
C. State Specific Treatment of Crypto ...........................................642
1. States Friendly to Crypto ................................................... 643
2. States Difficult for Crypto .................................................. 643
3. Uniform Law Commission Regulation of Virtual-Currency
Businesses Act .................................................................... 644
D. Businesses Accepting Crypto ....................................................644
E. How Do Other Countries Classify Crypto? ..............................645
* J.D. Candidate, Texas Tech University School of Law, 2023; B.B.A. in Accounting, Lubbock
Christian University, 2020. I would like to thank my Comment Editor, Ana Mitchell Cordova, and
Professor Gerry Beyer for their guidance, support, and editorial feedback. I would also like to recognize
and give a special thanks to my father and brother, Brent and Seth Paulger, for helping me understand
crypto while writing this Comment. Lastly, I would like to thank my mom, Sharissa Paulger, for her love
and support throughout this process.
621

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