Plan ahead
I need to get
my finances in order.
Make the accounts, debts, beneficiaries, insurance, and important contacts easier for the person who may eventually handle them.
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Build the free planning checklist
Work through accounts, insurance, documents, digital assets, and the people who need to know where the information lives.
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Resources for this exact question
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Review payable-on-death accounts
Learn how beneficiary designations can transfer eligible accounts outside a will and probate.
Understand beneficiariesUnderstand life insurance after death
See how claims, beneficiaries, policy ownership, and the estate can affect a payout.
Read the insurance guideSee what happens to debt
Understand the difference between estate debt and another person’s possible responsibility.
Read the debt guidePremium tool
Estate Inventory & Net Worth
Record the assets and debts you know about, calculate an estimated net value, and create an inventory for your executor to review.
Open the Premium inventory toolHow these resources are verified
The MORTL guides linked on this page show their citations. Articles show publication dates. State-specific pages show review dates and link to the statutes and official agencies behind the guidance. Read MORTL's sources and methodology.
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