Check mail for account statements

If you are lucky, the decedent provided you with an extensive and up-to-date list of accounts including estimated balances and copies of recent statements in one, organized place. But chances are this is not what you are going to find. You will likely have to do some digging to find everything you need to identify all accounts the decedent held.

One of the best ways to find out about the assets of an estate is to check the mail. Many people receive bank statements, stock dividend information, insurance statements, etc., in the mail. Keep in mind that these statements don’t come every week, though. Some statements like regular bank account statements might come once a month. Other statements like stock or bond holdings come quarterly. Statements from holdings like long-term Certificates of Deposit (CDs) might only come once a year, during tax season.

Because of this, if you are looking in the mail for statements you should never conclude at the end of a month or even the end of a quarter that you have everything you need. Be diligent about continuing to check and read any mail that comes to the decedent and his or her estate so you can get all the information you need to do your job properly.