Your Estate Inventory brings your bank accounts, investments, property, debts, vehicles, insurance, valuables, business interests, and digital assets together in one place. It isn't a legal document, and it lives separately from your will. So you can update it anytime without re-signing a thing.
After you pass away, your executor, the person you've chosen to carry out your will, has to work out what you had: which accounts to close, which debts to pay, and what goes where. Your Estate Inventory turns that search into a checklist.
Important: No account numbers or passwords required. Your executor just needs to know what you have and where it's held, so they know who to call. Keep account numbers, passwords, PINs, and crypto recovery phrases out of your Estate Inventory, including Notes.
Why your Estate Inventory matters
Would your executor know where your RRSP is held, or that you have a line of credit? An up-to-date Estate Inventory helps them:
Save time hunting for accounts and documents
Avoid missing an asset altogether
See your debts and what they're linked to
Account for everything in your estate
Why not list it all in your will? Once a will goes through probate, the court process that confirms it's valid, it becomes part of the public record. Keeping your Estate Inventory separate keeps those details private. And because what you own changes over time, you can keep it current without touching your will.
Who can use the Estate Inventory
The Estate Inventory comes with Premium and Premium x2 plans.
Have our Legal Essentials plan? You can upgrade to Premium to add your Estate Inventory, plus your Power of Attorney for Property and Power of Attorney for Personal Care.
How to build and update your Estate Inventory
Here’s how to add, update, and download your Estate Inventory:
Step 1: Go to your Estate Inventory
Open your Estate Inventory, or follow these steps:
Log in to your Willful account.
Click Estate Inventory in the left-hand menu (top right corner on mobile).
Note: You can also click Review and edit on the Estate Inventory tile under Your supporting documents on your home page, or on the Supporting tab of Your documents.
Not sure where to begin? Click Get more guidance near the top of the page. It explains how your information is protected and why estimated values help.
Step 2: Add an item
Start with whatever's easiest, like your everyday bank account. You don't have to finish in one sitting.
Find the section the item belongs in, like Bank accounts, and click + Add new (Add new on mobile).
Fill in the details in the Add item panel. Anything marked (optional) can wait. The rest is required, so Add item stays greyed out until it's filled in.
Click Add item.
Your item now appears in that section, and Last updated with today's date shows under your Estate Inventory heading. There's no save button: each item saves as soon as you click Add item.
Tip: Fields like Additional owners, Beneficiaries, and Additional insured use your Key contacts. Pick someone from the list, or click Add a contact to add someone new without leaving the page. Can't find your bank or provider? Choose Other (not listed) and type its name in Notes.
Step 3: Edit or remove an item
Life changes. You pay off a loan, switch banks, or sell the car. Keeping your Estate Inventory current only takes a minute.
Click the item's row (on mobile, tap Edit on the item).
In the Edit item panel, make your changes and click Update item.
To delete an item, click Remove item in the Edit item panel, then click Remove item again to confirm. Removed items can't be brought back, so you'd need to add it again.
Note: If you close the panel before saving, you'll see "Discard your changes?" Click Keep editing to go back, or Discard my changes to close without saving.
Step 4: Choose which sections you see
Your Estate Inventory has nine sections, but you only need the ones that fit your life. No business or crypto? Hide those sections to keep things tidy.
Remove a section: click the menu icon (⋮) next to an empty section's heading, choose Remove section, then click Remove section to confirm. The section moves to a row of buttons below your other sections. Only empty sections can be removed.
Add a section back: click its name in the row of buttons below your sections, for example Insurance. The section returns to its usual place, ready for you to add items.
Step 5: Download and store your Estate Inventory
Your Estate Inventory only helps if your executor can find it. So once it's in good shape, download a copy and put it somewhere safe.
Download your estate inventory here, or follow these steps:
Click Your documents in the left-hand menu (top right corner on mobile), or click the Your documents link at the bottom of your Estate Inventory.
Open the Supporting tab.
Find Estate Inventory and click Download.
Where should you keep your estate Inventory?
Store a printed copy with your printed will, so everything your executor needs is in one place. You can also share a digital copy with your executor or family members, if you'd like
Tell your executor or a family member where your documents are and how to get to them in an emergency
What you can add in each section
The table below shows what each section of the Estate Inventory covers and the details you'll need. Every section also has an optional estimated value and a Notes field for anything else your executor should know.
Section | What you can add | Required details |
Bank accounts | Chequing, savings, high-interest savings, foreign currency, cash holdings | Type, financial institution, ownership |
Investments | RRSP, TFSA, FHSA, RESP, RRIF, LIRA, HISA, pension, non-registered investments | Type, financial institution, ownership, whether a beneficiary is designated |
Properties | Primary home, secondary property, rental, land | Type, address, whether it has a mortgage |
Debts | Mortgage, HELOC, line of credit, credit card, auto loan, vehicle lease, personal loan or debt, secured business loan, tax owing | Type, lender, ownership |
Vehicles | Car or truck, SUV, motorcycle, RV, boat | Description, type, ownership (owned, financed, or leased) |
Insurance | Term, whole or permanent, universal, mortgage life, and accidental death insurance | Type, provider |
Personal items | Jewellery, art, collectibles, heirlooms | Description, type, location |
Business interests | Private corporation, sole proprietorship, limited partnership | Type, business name, ownership type |
Digital assets | Cryptocurrency wallets, online payment accounts, trading platforms | Type, platform |
Focus on things with financial or sentimental value. You don't need to list every lamp and fork.
Reminder: No account numbers or passwords required. Leave them out of every field, including Notes.
Common questions
How do I link a debt to my home or vehicle?
How do I link a debt to my home or vehicle?
Most homes and cars come with a loan attached, so we made it easy to keep them together. You can add the debt right from the property or vehicle, without leaving the page:
In Properties, choose Yes for "Does property have a mortgage?" In Vehicles, set Ownership to Financed or Leased.
Under Linked debts, choose Add new, fill in the mortgage, HELOC, or loan details, and click Add item.
Click Add item again to save the property or vehicle.
That's it. Your debt now shows in Debts, with your home or vehicle under Linked asset, so your executor can see what's owed on what. Started with the debt instead? No problem. In Debts, choose Add new under Linked asset.
Where do I record things that don't fit a section?
Where do I record things that don't fit a section?
Not everything fits neatly into a section, and that's okay. For things like email and social media accounts, loyalty points, a safe deposit box, or a storage unit, you have two options:
Add it under Personal items. Choose Other as the type, then describe it in Item description. Location is required, so add where it is or where your executor can find the details.
Add a note to a related item. For example, mention your safe deposit box in Notes on the bank account at the same branch.
For online accounts, just note where your executor can find your login details. Never write down passwords or recovery phrases.
Does my Estate Inventory change my will or who inherits?
Does my Estate Inventory change my will or who inherits?
It's a common worry, so here's the short answer: your Estate Inventory never changes your will. Think of it as a map for your executor, not a set of instructions. Listing something doesn't leave it to anyone, and you can update it as often as you like without re-signing or re-witnessing your will.
Want a specific item, like your grandmother's ring, to go to someone special? Add it under Specific gifts in your will. Everything else is shared through Estate allocation.
Do I need to enter account numbers or passwords?
Do I need to enter account numbers or passwords?
No account numbers or passwords required. We designed it that way on purpose. Your executor only needs to know what you have and where it's held, so they know which places to call.
Please keep account numbers, passwords, PINs, and crypto recovery phrases out of every field, including Notes. The Policy number field in Insurance is optional.
Why does it ask for estimated values?
Why does it ask for estimated values?
Don't worry about getting it exactly right. A ballpark figure is perfect, and estimated values are optional. They help us calculate your overall estate value.
Is the information in my Estate Inventory secure?
Is the information in my Estate Inventory secure?
Yes, and we take that seriously. Your Estate Inventory is encrypted using the same gold-standard security trusted by governments and financial institutions. We also only ask for what your executor and loved ones need, which is why you'll never see a field for passwords.
Can my executor see my Estate Inventory in Willful?
Can my executor see my Estate Inventory in Willful?
Your Willful account is yours alone, so your executor can't log in to see your Estate Inventory. That's why the copy you download matters so much. Keep a printed copy with your printed will, and consider sharing a digital copy of your Estate Inventory with your executor or family members too.
Should I include assets with designated beneficiaries or joint owners?
Should I include assets with designated beneficiaries or joint owners?
Yes, please do. Things like your RRSP or life insurance may go straight to the person you named, outside your will. But your executor still needs the full picture to settle your estate smoothly.
So add jointly owned assets like a home or joint bank account, life insurance with named beneficiaries, and registered plans or pensions with a named beneficiary. Learn more in Understanding assets with designated beneficiaries.
What happened to my asset list?
What happened to my asset list?
We've replaced the asset list with the Estate Inventory, a new and improved way to keep track of everything you own and owe. It's sorted into clear sections, links your debts to the things they're tied to, and makes it easy to keep your details up to date.
If you made an asset list before, don't worry, it's still there. You'll see it as a separate Asset List tile on your home page and in Your documents, ready to download whenever you need it. It can't be edited anymore, so your Estate Inventory is the place to keep things current from here on.
Why is the Add item button greyed out?
Why is the Add item button greyed out?
The Add item button stays greyed out until every required field is filled in. Look for any field without (optional) after its name, like Type, Financial institution, or Ownership for a bank account. Fill those in and you're good to go.
Why can't I remove a section?
Why can't I remove a section?
You can only remove a section once it's empty, which keeps you from losing items by accident. That's why the menu icon (⋮) only appears next to sections with no items. To hide a section, remove each item in it first by clicking its row, then Remove item. The menu icon will then appear.
A debt shows a long code instead of the asset it's linked to. What happened?
A debt shows a long code instead of the asset it's linked to. What happened?
This can happen when you remove a property or vehicle that a debt was linked to. To tidy it up, click the debt's row and update Linked asset to the right property or vehicle, or remove the link. Then click Update item.