Compared to a Comcast email address, what are the pros and cons?
I’m heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem, so would it make sense to switch to an iCloud.com email address?
Most importantly, what’s the least painful way to switch email addresses? I tried watching this video, but there was no demonstration.
You 100% should change your e-mail address since you are using your ISPs. If you ever left Comcast you lose it all. You should forward your mail to iCloud and put a note in your signature that you have a new address and the recipient should update your info.
For those you contact a lot, just send a message with the new address. Just make sure to BCC not CC 
.
ICloud is fine, but you can also look at Google and Microsoft (gmail/outlook) which are free and easy to use on any platform.
Gmail and Outlook don’t really have native integration though. iCloud seems much better suited if you’re deep into the Apple ecosystem (especially iCloud and all of its features).
Or do it “right”: get your own domain name.
Then you can switch back-end (Fastmail, Gmail, Outlook, iCloud, …) as much as you like, without the need to give your contacts an updated email address.
As Rob says, get your own domain name.
Then you can use the registrar to point joe@mydomain.abc to your isp provided email (this is usually free) but you loose your history when you change isp (unless you have a local copy).
Or, much better, use a specialist email provider like Zoho or fastmail which will cost a couple of bucks but keeps you entirely independent of isp.
I just want to create an email for personal use. Aren’t domain names usually meant for businesses?
Of course, if they ever left iCloud they would also lose it all.
Best advice given above: get your own domain – it’s not just for businesses. I’ve hosted my business and personal domains for 20 years.
Looks like justinvega.org is still available.
Your email could be justin@justinvega.org (or lots of different things in front of the @)
Grab it quick 
I have no plans to leave iCloud anytime soon. Honestly, I’m so tightly knit in the ecosystem that I don’t think I will ever leave… 
On your personal domains, do you have G Suite?
I thought about setting up G Suite for the whole family on a personal domain that we have. But trying to figure out the long term solution/consequences. (i.e. I am the techie in my family, when I pass away, and they don’t renew or just forget about all digital items…they get locked out)
Oh, I forgot to mention that it seems much easier and more convenient to just create an iCloud email address.
We use personal domains. Instructions are in the ‘green box’* for what to do when I die.
*Green box =
Letter to my Wife
Letter to each child (3)
Letter to the employees
Letter to my parents
List of most important 5 employees in the company & their strengths/weaknesses
Off balance sheet deals
Organizational Chart
Details of any company trusts
List of personal and business people that should be contacted in the event of passing
Deals in process and evaluation of them
Strategy that I am thinking about but haven’t told anybody about
List of Trusted Advisors and their roles (may or may not be currently working with
company) such as attorney, accountant, etc.
Instructions not addressed in Will
Copies of POA documents
Copy of Passport, Birth Certificate
Copy of all credit cards
Copy of physical property titles
Personal stock portfolio information
Details of Life insurance—personal and company owned
Details of all other insurance
Copies of personal property valuations (Jewelry, guns, collectables, etc.)
Computer passwords
Instructions on domains, email and digital assets
Personal financial Statement
Funeral/Burial Instructions
Mementos and to whom you’d like them given
Wait, is the process of creating an iCloud email address just a text box and a few simple clicks?
Best option: get your own domain
Second best: email provider you will stick with for the long haul.
Last resort: ISP email
I used my cox.net email address for years. Worked great until I moved out of the cox service area. That’s when I switched to my me.com address. Been very happy with it.
Switching over was a pain but there are a few tricks that help. First change all your online accounts to the new address. Inform all your contacts of the new address. Once that’s done setup a rule that forwards all email sent to the old address to a specific mailbox. In my case I just called it Cox. That way I could individually deal with the stragglers.
I’m not a fan of gmail because it doesn’t fit my way of working with email. I also have privacy concerns.
The only thing I don’t like about iCloud email is the inability to set server side rules from the client. I have to go to the iCloud.com website to work on them.
Have you considering migrating to iCloud.com at all?
That sounds like a pain (especially the ones that I have probably forgotten about).
Thankfully, that isn’t a problem for me.
Definitely just divert your email from your ISP. or gradually let everyone know your iCloud one.
An ISP email account is a definite no no.
Do you think iCloud would be a good option?
I think it’s a great option. I use the me.com address because it’s shorter. Mail can be sent to me at either name@me.com or name@icloud.com. My account predates the iCloud era. My wife predates that with a Mac.com address.
You have already received several good suggestions. IMO, an iCloud account may be one of the easiest to set up. OTOH it is a very basic email service.
It is lacking most of the advanced features available from other providers, and, according to comments I have read over the years, has a spam filter that doesn’t always let you know everything it has blocked. i.e sometimes legitimate messages may never be delivered.
Yes iCloud is great. I have used it for 10 years