Important Insurance And Financial Documents You Need To Organize And Share

By organizing your financial and legal documents before you die, you can help your family more easily:

• Apply for and claim benefits
• Get through the probate process
• Close bank accounts
• Pay any final estate or income taxes

Below are typical legal and financial accounts, and the types of documentation you should get together to get organized. For a printable checklist of all the documents you might need to collect, use our resource Checklist: Documents to Organize and Share.

Insurance Policies

• Life Insurance
• Health Insurance
• Car Insurance
• Home Insurance
• Other Insurance Policies (theft, fire, earthquake, etc.)

To gather for each policy:

• Company through which the policy was purchased
• A copy of the policy
• Name of policyholder
• Name of insured
• Name of primary beneficiary
• Name of contingent beneficiary
• Login and password information for online account management

Bank Accounts

• Checking accounts
• Savings accounts
• Money market accounts
• Certificates of deposit (CDs)
• Debit cards

To gather for each account:

• Name of bank
• Account number
• PIN number
• Login and password information for online account management

Credit Cards

To gather for each credit card:

• Card number
• Expiration date
• Recent account statements
• Login and password information for online account management

Mortgages Or Loans

To gather for each mortgage or loan:

• Company through which mortgage or loan was given
• A copy of the mortgage or loan agreement

Tax Returns

• Most recent W-2 forms or federal self-employment tax return
• Income tax returns for the current and previous year, including 1040 variations and 1099s, if applicable
• Gift tax returns

Pension Plans And Retirement Benefit Information

• 401(k) or 403(b) plans 
• IRAs
• Roth IRAs
• Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan
• Salary Reduction Simplified Employee Pension (SARSEP) plan

To gather for each plan:

• Name of organization through which the plan was established
• Name of beneficiary
• Login and password information for online account management

Titles Or Deeds To Any Property

• Real estate
• Motor vehicles
• Boats

Investment Portfolios

• Stocks 
• Bonds
• Mutual funds

To gather for each investment:

• Recent statements
• Name of contact person at financial institution, if applicable

For more documents you need to collect, use our resource Checklist: Documents to Organize and Share.