Build an estate document inventory
The inventory solves discovery and handoff. It should never imply that a checklist creates a valid legal document.
Read this guideCreate a private estate document index
This index helps you
Create a discovery index for key documents and their locations - Without uploading the documents themselves.
Browser-local indexNo document contents are uploaded
Check discoverability, not legal validity. Mark an item only when a current signed document or verified record can be located. The checklist cannot assess execution, suitability, authority, or legal effect.
Index each record separately
Check a row only when the current signed document or verified record can be located.
This is an index, not a document maker
Execution rules vary by document and jurisdiction. A checklist cannot determine validity, suitable language, capacity, witnessing, or notarization.
Make discovery possible
Record the signed original’s location and who knows how to retrieve it. Keep passwords and encryption secrets in an appropriate separate system.
Read the estate inventory guideHow to create an estate-document discovery index
The checklist records whether a current signed document or verified record can be located. It does not create or validate legal documents.
Use the estate document inventory checklist to identify the records this index should cover. The executor information and handoff checklist adds the contacts, property, obligations, and open questions needed for a practical handoff.
What progress means
A named record can be found, its status has been checked, and its location or next action is clear to an appropriate person.
What progress does not prove
The checklist cannot establish validity, suitability, current wishes, legal authority, or coordination with ownership and beneficiary records.
Progress means the record is easier to find
A checked item means it was indexed. It does not prove that the document is signed, valid, current, or right for the household.
- Name the document.
- Point to the signed original.
- Record the next review or action.
Custody rule: Keep document contents and access secrets outside this discovery index.
Run a document retrieval drill
- Distinguish signed from unfinishedCheck an item only when a current executed document or verified record exists. Put drafts and missing items on a separate follow-up list.
- Record the original locationName the physical or secure digital location precisely enough for an authorized person to retrieve the controlling record.
- Confirm the people involvedReview the appointed fiduciaries, agents, health-care decision-makers, trustees, and relevant professional contacts in the actual documents.
- Coordinate and reviewCompare dates and transfer instructions with current family circumstances, ownership, and beneficiary records, then seek jurisdiction-specific advice where needed.
What checklist progress means - And What It Does Not Mean
Progress measures indexed records, not whether the documents are legally valid, internally consistent, suitable, or current for the household.
A location note should help an authorized person find the original without exposing passwords, signing keys, recovery phrases, or private document contents.
Questions about signed records, locations, and trusted people
Does checking an item mean it is legally valid?
No. Validity can depend on jurisdiction, capacity, language, signatures, witnesses, notarization, and other facts the checklist cannot assess.
Should document copies be stored in this tool?
No. Record a safe location pointer. The tool is not a document repository or credential vault.
Who should know the index exists?
A suitable trusted person or appointed fiduciary should know how to locate the instructions, subject to your privacy and professional advice.