Zimmer Law Firm
Estate Planning & Elder Law Attorneys
Home Asset Inventory Form
Instructions. This form describes information we need for each asset category in order to prepare paperwork to register your trust with all your assets (“funding your trust”). We have identified the accounts and real estate you have told us about already. Please update this information so that we have a complete list of your assets.
For each asset category, instructions are included as to the information we need. Needed paperwork is highlighted in blue. List the approximate balance of each account. Where we ask for statements of account, that means what the financial institution sends you to show what is held in the account, and recent activity. Any recent statement with the name (s) of the owner(s), and full account or policy number(s) will be okay. We prefer not to work from your hand-prepared records as they may not include all needed information and because we cannot confirm the nature of each account. We will photocopy your records and return originals at your request.
For some categories, we will need forms from the company that holds the accounts or policies. They are highlighted in blue. We have also highlighted in blue any other documentation we need for each type asset.
If you need more room than the form allows for an asset category, space is provided at the end of the form to add information as needed. Please reference the asset category or section of the form that the information relates to.
Please note: if we do not have forms as requested, we will submit account titling change instructions and beneficiary designation instructions by letter. In the absence of the requested forms, it is likely our instructions will be returned to you with a request for forms to be completed. This will delay the process as we re-do the paperwork.
Beneficiary Designation forms: Certain types of accounts pay to listed beneficiaries upon the death of the owner, such as life insurance, annuities, IRAs, 401k and 403b plans, and employer provided retirement plans. Where we request a Beneficiary Designation Form, we mean the specific forms that each company requires to set up your beneficiaries. Call the company, plan administrator, or custodian to ask for their forms. Here’s what to say: “I am updating my estate plan. Please send me a form to name the beneficiaries for my [life insurance coverage] [annuity] [retirement plan].”
Forms to Change Ownership. Certain types of accounts require the company’s specific forms to change titling to your trust. Others require only a letter of instructions. We have indicated in blue which companies we believe will require official forms. Call the company to get those forms and say something like this: “I am updating my estate plan. Please send me your forms to change title of my account to my Living Trust.”
Note about the internet: We need account or policy numbers, the current owner, and the address for each company that holds your financial accounts. Online account information is often limited for security purposes and does not provide the same information as paper account statements. If those are not available and you choose to print information from the internet, please include: (a) the name and address of the financial institution, (b) present account ownership, and (c) the full account or policy number.
Date for delivery of this information: Please provide this form and the documentation requested not later than 5 days before your Asset Inventory Meeting. Thank you.