A number of the deceased's official documents are needed in order to finalize future tasks related to the Estate.

If you are unable to locate these documents in the deceased's home or office, you may need to check a safe deposit box.

If can't find a safe deposit box key, you may need to file a petition with Probate Court to gain access.

It may also be helpful to contact the deceased's professional service providers and ask them to provide copies.

These documents include but are not limited to:

Financial Records

• Bank account (checking, savings, CD, safe deposit box)


• Credit cards


• Stock and bond certificates


• Investment / brokerage accounts


• Retirement accounts (IRA, 401k)


• Tax records (income, property, gift, etc)


• Loans owed by or to the deceased

Insurance Policies

• Life & Health insurance information


• Additional insurance policies (auto, home, veterans, funeral)

Property and Business

• Real estate (mortgage, deeds, leases, leans)


• Vehicle titles and registrations


• Business documents (corporate partnership documents, account statements, contracts, licenses, tax returns)

Estate Plans

• Last Will and Testament


• Power of attorney (healthcare, durable, financial)


• Trusts


• Pre-paid funeral arrangements

Scanning and / or saving these documents and saving them in an online cloud service can be helpful for easy reference and access. See below for links for available services.