Fundamentals

Build an Estate Asset Inventory

  • all households
  • executor
  • advisor
작성
The Estate Guide Research Desk
검토
Editorial standards review
최종 검토일
관할권
United States (general; state law varies)

간단한 설명

An estate inventory is a secure working map of assets, debts, ownership, beneficiary designations, documents, advisers, and access instructions—not a public list and not a substitute for legal documents.

Sort assets by how they transfer
Separate probate assets from jointly owned, beneficiary-designated, and trust-owned assets.
Record values, not passwords
Record approximate values and statement dates rather than passwords in an ordinary worksheet.
Include the assets people forget
Include business interests, intellectual property, digital assets, insurance, loans owed to you, and tangible property.
Someone must know where the list is
Tell a trusted person where the current inventory and originals can be found.

The four parts of a working plan

  1. People Identify the owner, decision-makers, fiduciaries, and beneficiaries.
  2. Property Map title, contract rights, debts, tax attributes, and practical access.
  3. Documents Coordinate wills, trusts, powers, directives, and beneficiary forms.
  4. Review Revisit the plan after life, ownership, law, tax, or relationship changes.
A general educational sequence. A real matter can follow a different path.

더 깊이 알아보기

An inventory is the working map an executor or agent reaches for first. The sections below cover what to record for each asset, what to keep off the list, and how to show the route each asset takes at death.

일반적으로 검토하는 사람

Anyone with accounts at more than one institution, owners of a business interest or rental property, and the person most likely to be named executor.

Tax lens

Recording how and when each asset was acquired matters for tax as much as for probate. Most inherited assets take a basis equal to value at death under IRC § 1014, pre-tax retirement accounts do not, and a dated statement or appraisal is the evidence an executor needs for any estate or income-tax return.

흔한 실수

  1. Storing secrets insecurely

  2. Listing an account without how it is titled

  3. Forgetting debts and guarantees

관련 질문 Build an Estate Asset Inventory

Does state law matter?

Usually. Document execution, probate, spousal rights, creditor rules, trust administration, and state tax treatment can vary by jurisdiction.

What should be verified before acting?

Verify the current governing instrument, title and beneficiary records, applicable state law, current tax year, primary authority, and advice from appropriately qualified professionals.

Sources

최종 검토일August 21, 2026

관할권United States (general; state law varies)

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