Dad died last year, took 4 months to find his accounts – I don't want this for famil

[Khushi]

After my dad passed away, we thought the hardest part would be the grief. It wasn't.

The real challenge was the paperwork.

He had accounts in two banks we didn't know about. We discovered a fixed deposit by accident when a letter arrived at his old house. There was also a PPF account that had been running for 22 years, which we almost missed completely. His insurance agent called us, otherwise we wouldn't have known which company held the policy.

It took 4 months, multiple visits to bank branches, and a lot of documents – death certificates, succession certificates, notarised affidavits. My mother had to travel to another city twice for the bank visits.

We finally sorted it out, but I keep thinking my dad wasn't disorganised. He was actually quite careful with money, just never thought to tell us where everything was. Maybe he thought he had more time.

Since then I've been thinking a lot. I have a term insurance policy, a few MF folios, a home loan, an NPS account, and savings across two banks. My wife knows roughly that these exist but not the specifics – account numbers, policy numbers, who to call.

If something happened to me tomorrow, she would be starting from zero – the same situation my mother faced.

Has anyone actually solved this in a way that holds up, not just a note somewhere? I'm curious what people actually do.

[Rishi]

Generally, you just let your partner know which accounts you have and what policies are in place.

[Indrajit]

My cousin is in a similar spot while dealing with home loan debt. He just discovered other policies and assets (ETFs and MFs) that could have been used for his uncle's treatment if he had known about them. My uncle wasn't secretive, but he never really talked about it.

If anyone has suggestions or tools for this, please DM me.

[Shruti]

I came across a pretty extensive Google Sheet that might help:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xguOj9OqpFBtDqzQRplJs8rajz5DQiL5/edit?usp=drivesdk&ouid=117421803857528529794&rtpof=true&sd=true

[Manoj]

Create a file titled "Open after my death".

[Akshara]

Sorry for your loss, man. I always worry about this, so I do two things. I store all my important info – bank accounts, insurance policy details, investment accounts – in a digital vault I built called HexaVault. It holds all the login credentials.

Second, I create a document that lists everything – all accounts, policies, where the money is invested, etc. I print it, seal it in an envelope, and keep it in the safe at home. My parents, wife and daughter know the safe's password and the envelope exists. I update the document periodically and make a new envelope each time. The digital vault is also installed on my wife's phone so she can access the details anytime.

1. All account details in a sealed envelope.
2. Passwords to all accounts in the vault.

If something ever happens to me, my family can access everything immediately.

[Sandeep]

Gmail has a feature that automatically sends an email if you don't use the account for about 2 months. You can set it up with details on how to access your confidential files – keep an Excel or Doc updated every year or whenever you open a new account, and provide the access instructions in that email.

[Rekha]

I keep a folder that my parents and spouse can easily access. Every six months, or whenever I travel abroad, I run a drill: "I died today, what will you do?" and ask them random questions from the folder. They scramble to read each page.

It contains passwords, contact details, and instructions on who to reach out to when I'm not around. It's hidden in plain sight but highly restricted – I won't share the method here.

I've been evolving this document from a simple "what's where" list to a full guide on "how to transfer and what to do with it". I've been doing this for 10 years and update it every three months. It takes 2–3 Sundays each quarter, but I prefer spending time now so they don't have to later.

[Hardik]

My dad kept everything in a notebook – bank names, account numbers, etc. No passwords, just the basics. When he passed away, we had a clear picture of which bank and branch to go to and for what. He also made sure he was a nominee everywhere, which made the whole process smooth. There was one FD without a nominee, so we needed a succession certificate and a NOC, but everything else was easy.

After he died we got a lot of fake calls claiming there was a policy in his name that could be revived for a small amount. Because we had the full list, we could easily spot the scams.

The key is to have nominees everywhere and a single place that lists the institution, branch, and purpose – FD, locker, insurance, etc. Everything else can be looked up via mobile number or PAN.

[Gopal]

It's better to have a file at home with all the paperwork, updated frequently with details of new assets, loans, and policy documents.

Include passwords, login details for bank and email accounts so the family can find everything easily.

Planning your finances is one thing; making sure you have updated nominees and your family knows all the details is another.

[Tanya]

Register your wife's name as nominee on both movable and immovable properties. Then the only document she needs to produce is your death certificate, and she can take control of all your assets.

Keep a diary with all details of your assets.

At least one bank account could be made joint so she can access money immediately when you're no longer there, especially if she isn't working.