First 90 days: The Rivera Family (sample)
16 steps in sequence, built from this household's own record rather than a generic checklist. The order matters more than the list: what lapses comes first, claims follow the death certificates, and the tax calendar lands last. An attorney directs the estate itself.
- 7 account(s) have no beneficiary on file and pass under the will, which is slower and public.
1 document(s) are recorded: Will. The signed originals are what the court accepts, not a copy or this record.
Contact on file: Ana Ruiz, Ruiz & Feld LLP, 512-555-0142
5 institution(s) and 2 policy(ies) on file, each generally wanting its own certified copy, plus spares for the court and the employer. They are ordered from the county or state registrar.
CollegeInvest, Fidelity, First Republic, Schwab, Vanguard. Notification freezes individually titled accounts and starts each institution's own claim process, which runs on its own clock.
Contact on file: Priya Nandakumar, Cardinal Advisors, 512-555-0119
1 life policy(ies) on file. Insurers pay on a claim, not on notice, and the proceeds are usually the fastest liquidity available to the household.
Contact on file: Tom Reyes, Northwestern, 512-555-0163
Federal estimated tax $9,500 to US Treasury due 2026-09-15. These are not automatic, so they stop when the person making them stops.
A household join code from the continuity page gives a successor their own login rather than a shared password. Passwords and account numbers are deliberately not held here.
Contact on file: Daniel Rivera, 512-555-0101
Traditional IRA at Vanguard. These pass by designation rather than under the will, so they move first and outside probate.
Contact on file: Priya Nandakumar, Cardinal Advisors, 512-555-0119
Roth IRA at Vanguard, Taxable Brokerage at Schwab, Checking at First Republic, Savings at First Republic, HSA at Fidelity, 529 plan at CollegeInvest, 401(k) at Fidelity. With no designation these form part of the probate estate and need a date-of-death value for the inventory.
Contact on file: Ana Ruiz, Ruiz & Feld LLP, 512-555-0142
Taxable Brokerage at Schwab, Checking at First Republic, Savings at First Republic. Joint accounts generally pass to the survivor by operation of law, and the institution still wants a certificate to update the title.
Contact on file: Priya Nandakumar, Cardinal Advisors, 512-555-0119
Alto Robotics, Cascade Opportunity Fund II, Meridian Ventures VI, Ridgeline Credit II. Transfer of a partnership interest usually needs the general partner's consent, and the fund documents set the terms.
No adviser recorded for this step.
A final return covers the part of the year before death, and the estate files its own return for what comes after. Which income lands on which return is a question for the preparer.
Contact on file: Marcus Bell, Bell Tax Group, 512-555-0177
Cascade Opportunity Fund II, Meridian Ventures VI, Ridgeline Credit II. K-1s routinely arrive after the April filing date, and an extension is the ordinary path while one is outstanding.
Contact on file: Marcus Bell, Bell Tax Group, 512-555-0177
Ridgeline Credit II. Unrelated business taxable income inside a retirement account is filed and taxed at trust rates, and the obligation follows the account to its beneficiary.
Contact on file: Marcus Bell, Bell Tax Group, 512-555-0177
Traditional IRA at Vanguard, Roth IRA at Vanguard, 401(k) at Fidelity. The timetable an inherited account runs on depends on who inherits and on the age at death, and the deadline for setting it up is its own trap.
Contact on file: Marcus Bell, Bell Tax Group, 512-555-0177
Stated net worth on file is $12,049,000. A return can be required even where no tax is owed, and electing to carry a spouse's unused exemption is made on that return.
Contact on file: Ana Ruiz, Ruiz & Feld LLP, 512-555-0142
Ownership, beneficiaries, filing status, and income all change. Re-running the reviews afterwards restates the position rather than the one that has passed.
Administrative sequence only. These steps say who to notify and what has a deadline; they do not say what to do with an asset once it is in hand, and they are not legal or tax advice. Assembled 2026-09-09 from the household record, so it is current as of the last time that record was updated. Hand it to the attorney directing the estate rather than working through it alone.