✓ Estate Organization Checklist

Financial Accounts & Assets

Make sure the people you trust know what you have, and where to find it

Use this printable roadmap to identify what applies, note where records are kept, and flag items needing follow-up. Avoid writing passwords, PINs, full account numbers, or other sensitive access information here.

Important: For educational and organizational purposes only. This checklist is not legal, tax, financial, or investment advice.

1. Checking and Savings Accounts

For each institution, ensure your records identify

Name of the financial institution
Type of account
Individual or joint ownership
Payable-on-death designation, if applicable
General location of account records
Secure location of detailed account information

2. Investment and Brokerage Accounts

For each account, ensure you identify

Financial institution or brokerage
General type of account
Ownership
Financial adviser, if applicable
Beneficiary or transfer-on-death designation, if applicable
Location of statements or records

Date investment accounts last reviewed

3. Retirement Accounts

For each account, confirm your records identify

Institution or plan administrator
Current employer or former employer associated with the plan
Type of retirement account
Primary beneficiary
Contingent beneficiary, if applicable
Location of plan documents or statements

4. Pensions and Annuities

For each, ensure you identify

5. Real Estate

For each property, ensure you identify

6. Vehicles and Other Titled Property

For each item, ensure you identify

7. Business Interests

Ensure you identify

8. Valuable Personal Property

Consider identifying

For significant items, consider if you have

9. Money Owed to You

Keep documentation showing

Who owes the money
General nature of the obligation
Where the agreement or records are located
Appropriate contact information

10. Safe-Deposit Boxes and Other Storage

Ensure an appropriate trusted person knows

That the storage location exists
Where it is located
Where information about authorized access can be found
What types of records or property are stored there

11. Digital Financial Assets

Examples can include

12. Less-Obvious Assets

Do you have any of the following?

Financial Organization Check

Once you’ve worked through the categories above, ask yourself

The “Forgotten Account” Test

Review tax returns, mail, email, payroll records, and several months of transactions for overlooked accounts or assets.
Check former employers, old retirement plans, transferred institutions, automatic deposits, and recurring income.
Ask: Is there anything I own or receive that another person would not know to look for?

Notes and follow-up

Item or next stepPerson or date