Grief, paperwork and no map.
Her husband had always handled the money. He left eleven accounts at six institutions, two old workplace plans, a life insurance claim and no list of where anything was.
- 11accounts at six institutions
- $3.6Min assets to retitle or inherit
- 0written list of accounts or passwords
She was receiving letters she did not understand, deadlines for the estate tax return and inherited IRA were approaching, and several well-meaning relatives were offering advice. She did not want to make any big decisions in the first months, but some could not wait.
Above all, she wanted one person to call and a plan she could follow without her husband.
Slow down, then simplify.
Her lead advisor coordinated the estate attorney, the CPA and every institution, and met her monthly — at home for the first three meetings.
- 01
Find and secure everything
We traced all eleven accounts, filed the insurance claim, updated beneficiaries and listed every deadline in one calendar she kept by her phone.
- 02
Make only the urgent decisions
We handled the spousal IRA rollover and filed to keep her husband's unused estate tax exemption, and left every other change until month six.
- 03
Consolidate into three accounts
Eleven accounts became an IRA, a joint-to-individual brokerage account and a checking account, each with a written purpose and a monthly transfer.