Family Conversations

How To Talk To Ageing Parents About Money, Wills And Financial Accounts

Peter Vulchev, SuccessionKeeper Co-founder
July 1, 2026
How To Talk To Ageing Parents About Money, Wills And Financial Accounts

Reviewed for accuracy: July 2026

In short: Talking to ageing parents about money, wills, Lasting Powers of Attorney, pensions, bank accounts and important documents is one of the most avoided conversations in family life. But avoiding it can leave a surviving partner, attorney or executor searching through paperwork, old emails and provider records at exactly the wrong moment. This guide explains how to open the conversation respectfully, what to ask, what to avoid, and why the goal is organisation, not interrogation.

The Conversation Nobody Wants to Have

There is a particular kind of awkwardness that comes with asking your parents about their money. It can feel like you are circling an inheritance, overstepping a boundary, or worse, anticipating their decline. For your parents, discussing a time when they are no longer here or able to manage their own affairs can feel like a direct acknowledgement of things they would rather not acknowledge -- their own mortality, the possibility of incapacity, the idea that they may one day need help with things they have always handled themselves.

So you put it off. You tell yourself they are fine, they are organised, someone must know where everything is. And the years pass.

The assumption that the conversation can wait is one of the most costly ones families make. Research from the Money and Pensions Service found that 53% of adults aged 50 to 64 and 22% of adults aged 65 and over do not have a will. That does not mean every family is unprepared, but it shows how often formal planning is delayed even in later life.

The real purpose of the conversation is not control. It is clarity. If one parent became seriously ill, went into hospital, lost capacity or passed away, would the surviving partner know where everything is held? Which pension providers to contact? Where the insurance policies are? Which bank accounts exist? Where important documents are stored?

These questions become impossible to answer under pressure if the groundwork has not been laid. Without a clear financial record alongside a will, families must trace accounts manually, a process that can take months and often results in assets being missed entirely. Gretel, the UK's unclaimed assets specialist, estimates that £89 billion sits unclaimed across dormant and lost financial accounts in the UK -- much of it belonging to families who simply did not know where to look.

Why It Matters More Than Families Realise

Think about what your parents have accumulated across a lifetime -- current accounts, savings accounts, workplace pensions from previous employers, life insurance, premium bonds, investments, property. Now think about whether you could name every provider without asking them.

In many households, one person quietly manages most of the financial administration. The other partner knows the broad picture but not the detail. If the financially organised partner becomes unwell or passes away, the surviving partner may be left trying to reconstruct years of financial life from scratch.

The situation is often more complicated than people expect. Joint bank accounts usually continue in the name of the surviving account holder after one account holder dies, although the bank will still need to be notified. But that does not solve the wider problem. Individual accounts, ISAs, pensions, premium bonds, insurance policies and investment platforms each have their own bereavement, probate or authority processes. If a parent loses mental capacity, the practical issue is different: family members normally need proper authority, such as a registered Lasting Power of Attorney or deputyship, before they can manage accounts on that person’s behalf.

Digital-only accounts and two-factor authentication can create an additional barrier, leaving a surviving partner unable to establish what even exists. And if they worked abroad and only they kept the details of any financial assets there, it may be very hard to locate them. MoneyHelper notes that acting early also matters for Lasting Powers of Attorney, which can take ten weeks or more to register. The goal of this conversation is not to expose every private detail. It is to make sure the surviving partner is never left starting from zero.

Why the Conversation Feels So Hard

Parents may worry that their children are trying to interfere or anticipate an inheritance they should not be thinking about. Adult children may worry that they sound greedy, insensitive or controlling. A surviving spouse may assume they know enough -- until they are suddenly faced with paperwork, providers, old pensions, online accounts and documents they have never seen before.

The discomfort is understandable -- money is private, ageing is emotional, and the topic carries a weight that most families would rather avoid. But the cost of not having this conversation is almost always higher than the discomfort of having it. That is why the framing matters so much. This should not be presented as a conversation about inheritance. It should be presented as a conversation about reducing stress and protecting the surviving partner. A better opening is: "I am not asking about amounts. I just want to know that if one of you ever needed help, the other would know where to start." That changes the tone completely.

How To Approach Parents And Open The Dialogue

The research is consistent on one thing: do not start with numbers. "How much money do you have?" is the wrong question and almost always creates resistance. The easiest entry point is a question about practical continuity, not wealth.

  • Lead with yourself. Share how you have been sorting out your own financial affairs and ask whether your parents have a clear record themselves. Being honest about your own gaps helps -- admitting that your partner may have little idea about an account, an investment or an overseas pension until you sat down and organised it together makes the conversation feel less like an interrogation and more like something every family quietly struggles with. Parents who might resist sharing their own details are often more willing to engage when their adult child is being equally open. You might say: "I have been trying to get my own finances organised and it made me realise how scattered things can become over time. Do you both have a record of where your main accounts and documents are held, just so the other would know where to start in an emergency?"
  • Focus on the surviving partner, not the children. Shift the frame away from what anyone inherits and place it on protecting the partner. "Dad, if you were taken poorly and in hospital for a few weeks, would Mum know which accounts to check and which pension providers to contact to keep things running?" That question is about care, not money.
  • Use someone else's experience. Mentioning that a friend's family spent months piecing together financial records after a parent became ill opens the topic without directing it at your parents personally. "A colleague spent the best part of a year trying to sort out his father's accounts after a sudden stroke. It made me think we should probably have this conversation while everything is straightforward."
  • Reassure them clearly about what you do and do not want. The biggest barrier is often the fear that children are trying to find out what they will inherit or take over decisions their parents are perfectly capable of making. Be explicit: "I do not want or need to know the amounts. I just want to make sure we have a simple record of the provider names, so nothing ever gets lost."
  • Choose the right moment. A quiet Sunday afternoon with no agenda is the right setting. Not Christmas dinner. Not during a health scare. Not in the middle of something stressful. MoneyHelper recommends choosing a moment when parents are feeling well and can clearly express their wishes.

Should You Talk to Both Parents Together or Separately?

The research and professional guidance suggest that the answer depends on what you are trying to achieve, and the most effective approach often involves both -- but in the right order.

Start with one parent first if one manages the finances

In most households, one parent handles the day-to-day financial administration. They know the pension providers, the insurance policies, which accounts exist and where the documents are stored. Starting with that parent first, in a one-to-one conversation without the other parent present, often produces more complete and more candid information. People tend to be more open about the detail of their financial arrangements when they are not simultaneously managing how their partner feels about the conversation.

This is also the parent who may be more willing to engage practically. If the financially organised parent understands the purpose and is on board, they become a natural ally for the joint conversation that follows.

Speak to the other parent separately about a different question

The second parent -- often the one less involved in financial administration -- has something equally important to contribute: an honest assessment of how much they actually know. A quiet conversation that asks "if something happened to Dad tomorrow, would you know where to start?" produces a genuinely useful answer, and it produces it in a space where the other parent is not present to reassure or minimise. The gap between what one parent thinks the other knows and what the other parent actually knows is often where the real problem lives.

Bring both parents together once you understand the landscape

The joint conversation is where the practical record gets built. Once you know roughly what exists and how organised things are, sitting down together with both parents allows you to make sure both of them know where everything is -- not just the parent who has always managed it. This is arguably the most important outcome of the whole process. The goal is not just that you know where things are. It is that the surviving partner knows, and that they feel confident they could find everything without help.

When the joint conversation is the only option

Some families do not have the kind of relationship that makes one-to-one conversations comfortable or practical. In those cases, a joint conversation from the outset is perfectly workable -- just be aware that one parent may answer on behalf of both, and that the partner who manages the finances may downplay how little the other parent knows. Asking both parents directly, in turn, whether they could locate specific things tends to surface the gaps more honestly than asking them as a couple.

One situation to handle with particular care

If you have reason to believe that one parent is experiencing early signs of cognitive decline, a one-to-one conversation with that parent about their own financial arrangements may not be appropriate. In that situation, speak to the other parent first, and if necessary involve a GP, social worker or solicitor to understand what practical and legal steps are available.

What To Avoid And What To Say Instead

Some phrases create resistance, even when the intention is good. The wrong opening can make the conversation sound like it is about inheritance, control or criticism, when the real purpose is practical organisation.

Phrases To Avoid

  • Avoid saying: “What am I going to inherit?” or “What happens to the house when you die?” Even if the question is practical, it can sound as though the conversation is about your future inheritance rather than your parents’ peace of mind.
  • Avoid saying: “You should have sorted this already” or “You are getting older, so we need to deal with this.” Those phrases can sound patronising and may make your parents feel judged, even if your intention is to help.
  • Avoid asking: “Can you give me your bank passwords?” or “Where do you keep your PINs?” Parents should not share bank passwords, PINs, one-time passcodes or online banking security details with adult children. That is not sensible planning. It creates security risk and may breach the terms of the account provider.

Better Phrases To Use

A better approach is to use language that protects independence and reduces defensiveness.

  • You might say: “You stay in control. I am not asking to take anything over.”
  • You might say: “You do not need to share amounts. It would just help to know where things are held.”
  • You might say: “This is mainly to protect the surviving partner, so nobody is left trying to work everything out during a crisis.”
  • You might say: “I do not need passwords or bank logins. I just want to make sure there is a safe record of provider names and document locations.”
  • You might say: “You can decide what gets recorded and who should receive it if something ever happens.”
  • This is the right tone. It makes the conversation about continuity, privacy and family protection rather than inheritance, control or suspicion. SuccessionKeeper follows the same principle: record the map, not the keys.

What If Your Parent Refuses To Talk?

Some parents will resist no matter how carefully the conversation is opened. This is more common than most people expect and should not be treated as a permanent answer. The best response is to leave the door open rather than press the point. Say something like: "I understand. I just wanted to make sure you know I am here if you ever want to go through it together." Then try again at a different moment, ideally when a natural trigger arises -- a friend's bereavement, a health check, a news story about unclaimed pensions.

Instead of asking for a full financial picture, ask one practical question: “Would you be comfortable writing down where your will is stored?” If that is accepted, ask later about pension provider names. If that works, ask whether both parents know where insurance policies are kept.

You can also suggest that they do not share the information directly with you. They may prefer to keep the record privately, share it with a spouse, store it with a solicitor, or use a secure service where nominated contacts only receive information if it is needed. That is often the key to overcoming resistance. Parents do not necessarily object to being organised. They object to feeling exposed. It should feel like practical planning that protects the parent’s independence and the surviving partner’s peace of mind.

MoneyHelper's guidance on talking with older people about money and Age UK both provide practical advice on what options exist when a family member needs support but is reluctant to accept it.

What Actually Needs to Be Covered

A useful way to think about this is as a financial checklist for ageing parents: not a list of balances, but a simple record of providers, documents, advisers and emergency contacts.

Once the conversation is open, the goal is not a complete inventory in a single afternoon. The goal is to open the door so that over time, the picture becomes clear. What follows is a practical guide to the categories that matter most -- not the numbers, just the map.

Bank accounts, pensions, investments and insurance are the four most important starting points. Provider names and a note of where documents are stored is enough -- no amounts or account numbers are necessary. Old workplace pensions from previous employers are among the most commonly missed assets and are worth asking about specifically, since many people lose track of them across different jobs and companies.

The full list of categories is covered in detail in the guide below -- the goal of this section is simply to open the door, not to complete the inventory in one sitting: Digital Accounts Inventory Checklist UK: What to Record in a Death File or In Case of Death Document.

Professional contacts are also worth recording -- the solicitor who holds the will, the financial adviser if there is one, the accountant. If there is no professional adviser, that is worth noting too so no one wastes time searching for a professional who does not exist.

Why Wills and Lasting Power of Attorneys Do Not Solve the Whole Problem

A will explains who should administer the estate and who should inherit. It does not provide a complete map of every bank account, pension, investment platform, insurance policy or professional contact. An executor can have full legal authority and still spend months searching for assets.

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) has the same practical limitation. A property and financial affairs LPA gives someone authority to act if a parent loses capacity, but it does not tell them which accounts exist, which pensions matter or where documents are stored. Legal authority without a practical record still leaves a family searching.

That is why both are needed alongside a financial account list. The will says what should happen. The LPA says who can help while someone is still alive. The financial record shows where to begin.

One timing point is important. An LPA must be set up while the person still has mental capacity. If a parent loses capacity before an LPA is in place, family members may need to apply to the Court of Protection to become a deputy before they can manage finances or make certain decisions. That process is more formal than registering an LPA in advance and may involve fees, supervision and legal costs, especially where the situation is complex. A solicitor can advise on the right approach.

This article reflects the law in England and Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different legal rules -- families should check the relevant guidance or speak to a solicitor where needed.

The Categories Families Most Often Miss

The accounts most likely to be missed are not always the largest ones. They are the accounts that leave the fewest clues.

Old workplace pensions are a common example. People change employers, move home and lose track of scheme administrators. GOV. UK’s Pension Tracing Service can help find contact details for a workplace or personal pension scheme, but it cannot tell you whether a person has a pension or what it is worth. The family still needs clues to start the search -- and the most useful clues are employer names, the approximate years worked there, and the addresses held at the time. Without those three pieces of context, even a successful trace may stall when a provider asks for information to verify the identity of the account holder.

This is why encouraging parents to write down not just provider names but the names of every employer they can remember -- with rough start and end dates -- is one of the most practically valuable things this conversation can produce. A list of previous addresses going back twenty or thirty years is equally useful, because pension providers and insurers send correspondence to the last address on their records. A family that knows where a parent lived in 1994 can explain to a scheme administrator exactly why correspondence went unanswered and why records may be held under a different address than the one they have today.

Investment accounts are another blind spot. A parent may not say they have “investments”, but they may have an ISA, a share dealing account, a legacy fund account, employee shares or an old platform account opened years ago. Digital-only investment platforms can leave little paper evidence.

Life insurance can also be missed, especially where the policy was arranged through an employer, broker or mortgage adviser. Death-in-service benefits are especially easy to overlook because the only record may sit in an employment contract, benefits portal or HR email.

Premium Bonds, NS&I products, overseas accounts, private company shares, business loans, crypto wallets, safe deposit boxes and private investments should also be considered. Not every family will have these, but the point of a financial map is to make sure unusual assets are not invisible.

For related tracing guidance, read

Should Siblings Be Involved?

Where family dynamics allow, it is usually better to be transparent with siblings about why the conversation is happening. Money conversations can create suspicion if one child appears to be gathering information privately. The safer framing is that the family is helping the parents stay organised and making sure the surviving partner is protected.

That does not mean every sibling needs access to every detail. Parents may choose one child as executor, another as attorney, or someone outside the family entirely. The important thing is that everyone understands the purpose of the conversation. It is about making sure the right people can help when help is needed.

If one sibling is appointed as attorney, executor or primary family contact, it is usually better for that to be discussed openly where appropriate. Silence can create suspicion later, even where the parents made the decision for sensible reasons.

Does A Joint Account Solve The Problem?

A joint bank account can help with access to that specific account, but it does not solve the wider problem. It does not reveal individual savings accounts, ISAs, pensions, life insurance policies, investment platforms, business interests, old employer benefits or accounts held elsewhere.

A joint account also does not replace a will, a Lasting Power of Attorney or a proper financial record. It may be useful for day-to-day household money, but families should not assume it gives them a complete view of a parent’s financial life.

This is especially important where one parent manages most of the household administration. The surviving partner may still have access to a joint current account, but that does not mean they know where pensions, investments, insurance policies, tax records or old employer benefits are held.

What If A Parent Has Already Lost Mental Capacity?

If a parent has already lost mental capacity and there is no valid Lasting Power of Attorney, the family may not be able to simply step in and manage everything. In England and Wales, they may need to apply to the Court of Protection to become a deputy. GOV.UK explains that a deputy can be appointed where someone lacks mental capacity and cannot make a decision for themselves at the time it needs to be made.

This is why the conversation should happen while parents are still well and able to make decisions. It is much easier to ask calm, practical questions in advance than to discover during a crisis that nobody has authority and nobody knows where the accounts are.

If capacity has already been lost, the right next step is usually to get legal guidance rather than trying to improvise. Families should avoid using passwords or informal access routes to manage accounts without proper authority. That can create legal, security and family problems later.

Is A Third-Party Mandate Enough?

A third-party mandate is an arrangement with a bank or building society that allows someone else to help operate a specific account. MoneyHelper explains that a third-party mandate can typically allow a trusted person to make payments, set up standing orders, discuss transactions and order statements, depending on the provider’s rules.

It is useful, but it is limited. It usually applies only to a specific account and does not create a full picture of someone’s financial affairs. It is not the same as a Lasting Power of Attorney. MoneyHelper also warns that a third-party mandate is not appropriate if the account holder is losing the ability to make relevant decisions themselves.

For families, the practical point is simple. A third-party mandate may help with one bank account, but it will not usually cover pensions, insurance policies, investments, property, tax records or accounts with other providers. It should be seen as one tool, not a complete plan.

Should Parents Share Passwords With Adult Children?

No. Parents should not share bank passwords, PINs, one-time passcodes or online banking security details with adult children. That is not sensible planning. It creates security risk and may breach the terms of the account provider.

The safer approach is to record where accounts are held, not how to access them. A family does not need passwords to know that a parent has an ISA with a particular provider, a pension with an old employer scheme, or a life insurance policy stored with a solicitor. The map is what helps people start the correct legal process. The keys should remain private.

Take Five, the UK fraud prevention campaign, advises people to stop, challenge and protect themselves when faced with requests for money or information. The same principle applies inside families. Good planning should reduce uncertainty without creating new security risks.

How Often Should The Record Be Updated?

A financial account list is only useful if it stays reasonably current. It should be reviewed at least once a year and whenever something important changes. Useful triggers include opening or closing an account, changing pension provider, updating a will, making or changing a Lasting Power of Attorney, moving house, changing adviser, taking out insurance or adding a new nominated contact.

This is where many paper lists and spreadsheets fail. They are created once, then forgotten. A good record should be easy to update and should prompt the account holder to keep the information current.

The review does not need to become a major project. A short annual check is often enough: have any accounts changed, has any provider changed, has the will or LPA changed, have any nominated contacts changed, and would the right person still know where to start?

The Problem With Writing It Down Somewhere

Even when families have this conversation, the follow-through can be unreliable. A list is written, put in a drawer and forgotten. Over time, accounts change, providers merge and documents move.

A spreadsheet has the same problem in a different form. It exists on one person's laptop, behind one person's login, organised in a way that made sense to one person. For everyone else, it is a puzzle -- and there is no process to ensure the right people receive the information when it actually matters.

Keeping Information Organised

When the time feels right, you do not need to explain any platform at length. A simple framing works best: "I found something that lets you record where things are held -- not passwords or bank logins, just provider names and where documents are stored. You stay in control, and you can choose who should receive the information if it is ever needed."

That is the key. It lets parents organise their information at their own pace, on their own terms, without feeling they are handing over control or independence. SuccessionKeeper is a private vault where they can record where their accounts are held, without storing login credentials or account numbers. What makes it different from a spreadsheet is that it checks in periodically -- and if the account holder stops responding, nominated contacts receive the information through a careful process rather than it sitting forgotten in a drawer.

It is not a replacement for a will, a Lasting Power of Attorney or a conversation with a financial adviser. It is the practical record that helps make all of those things findable when a family needs them. Find out more at How It Works and Features pages.

A Final Thought

Your parents spent a lifetime building something. This conversation is the one that makes sure none of it gets lost -- and that the people they love are never left starting from zero.

Related Reading

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I talk to elderly parents about finances without upsetting them?

Start with practical concerns rather than inheritance. Ask whether both parents would know where to find key accounts, pensions and documents if one of them became unwell. Make it clear that you are not asking for passwords, balances or control. Leading with your own financial planning as a conversation opener often makes parents more willing to engage.

When is the best time to talk to parents about finances?

When they are healthy, calm and not under any immediate stress. MoneyHelper recommends choosing a moment when parents are feeling well and can clearly express their wishes. A relevant life event -- a friend's parent moving into care, a health check or a will being made -- often creates a natural opening.

Should I talk to one parent first or both parents together?

There is no single rule. If one parent manages most of the financial administration, a gentle one-to-one conversation may help you understand what exists. But decisions affecting both parents should usually move into a joint conversation where both can participate, provided both have capacity and the family dynamics are safe. Avoid secrecy. The goal is to protect both parents and make sure the surviving partner knows where to start.

Should I ask my parents how much money they have?

Usually not at the beginning. Asking for balances can make the conversation feel like it is about inheritance. A better approach is to ask where things are held and who should be contacted. If your parents later choose to share more detail, that is their decision.

Should adult children have access to their parents’ financial information?

Not necessarily. Parents do not need to share balances, passwords or account numbers for the family to be better prepared. A safer approach is for parents to keep a private record of provider names, document locations and professional contacts, and decide who should receive that information if needed.

What if my parents refuse to discuss their finances?

Reduce the size of the ask. Start with one non-threatening question, such as where the will is stored or whether both parents know the main pension providers. Reassure them that they do not need to share balances. If they are uncomfortable sharing information with children, suggest they keep a private record with a solicitor, adviser or secure vault. Age UK and MoneyHelper [give links to both] both provide guidance on supporting elderly relatives who are reluctant to engage with financial planning.

What financial questions should I ask ageing parents?

The most useful starting questions are practical ones: which banks do you use, are there any old pension pots from previous employers, where is the will stored, is there a Lasting Power of Attorney in place, which insurance policies exist, and who should be contacted in an emergency. You do not need to ask about amounts -- provider names and document locations are enough.

What is the difference between a will and a financial account list?

A will explains who should inherit and who should administer the estate. A financial account list helps the family understand what exists and where it is held. The two work together but solve different problems. A will without a financial record can still leave an executor searching for weeks or months.

What is a lasting power of attorney and why does it matter for ageing parents?

A Lasting Power of Attorney is a legal document that allows a chosen person to make decisions on behalf of someone who has lost mental capacity. There are two types: one covering property and financial affairs, and one covering health and welfare decisions. It must be set up while the person still has mental capacity. Without one, family members have no automatic legal right to access accounts or make decisions, and would need to apply to the Court of Protection.

How do I know if my parents have a Lasting Power of Attorney?

Ask your parents directly, or contact their solicitor if they have one. An LPA must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian before it can be used, so you can also check the OPG register at GOV.UK.

Does a lasting power of attorney mean my family will know where everything is?

No. A Lasting Power of Attorney gives someone legal authority to act, but it does not tell them which accounts, pensions, policies or documents exist. Practical financial organisation is still needed alongside formal legal planning.

What happens if parents die without a will or a financial record?

Without a will, the estate is distributed under intestacy rules, which may not reflect their wishes and can cause delays and disputes. Cohabiting partners receive nothing under intestacy in England and Wales, regardless of the length of the relationship. Without a financial record, the family must trace accounts manually, which can take months and may result in assets being missed entirely and eventually transferred to the state as unclaimed wealth.

What if one parent has already lost mental capacity?

If a parent has already lost mental capacity and no valid Lasting Power of Attorney is in place, family members may need to apply to the Court of Protection to become a deputy before they can manage finances or make certain decisions on that parent’s behalf. This is a formal legal process and can involve application fees, ongoing supervision fees and, for property and financial affairs deputyship, potentially a security bond. A solicitor who specialises in Court of Protection work can advise on the steps involved.

Glossary Of Key Terms

  • Lasting Power Of Attorney, Or LPA: A legal document that allows someone to appoint trusted attorneys to make decisions if they lose capacity. In England and Wales, there are two types: property and financial affairs, and health and welfare.
  • Property And Financial Affairs LPA: An LPA covering money, property, bills, bank accounts, pensions and similar financial matters. It can be used once registered, with the donor’s permission, while the donor still has capacity.
  • Health And Welfare LPA: An LPA covering health, care and welfare decisions. It can only be used when the person lacks capacity to make the relevant decision.
  • Will: A legal document setting out who should administer the estate and who should inherit after death.
  • Executor: The person named in a will to administer the estate after death. In practice, executors may need a grant of probate before institutions release certain assets.
  • Probate: The legal process that confirms authority to deal with the estate of someone who has died.
  • Letters Of Administration: The authority granted where there is no valid will or no executor able to act.
  • Intestacy: The legal rules that apply when someone dies without a valid will. In England and Wales, unmarried partners and friends do not automatically inherit under current intestacy rules.
  • Expression Of Wish: A form used by pension scheme members to tell pension trustees or providers who they would like to receive pension death benefits. It is important, but it is not the same as a will.
  • Third-Party Mandate: A bank-specific arrangement that allows someone to help with a particular account while the account holder still has decision-making ability. It is not a substitute for a Lasting Power of Attorney.
  • Death File: A practical record of important accounts, assets, documents, providers and contacts. It is not a legal document, but it can be extremely useful for families, executors and attorneys.
  • Death Notification Service: A free UK service that allows families to notify multiple financial institutions of a death in one process, rather than contacting each provider separately. Available at Death Notification Service.
  • Digital Vault: A secure place to record important information. SuccessionKeeper is a private digital vault for financial account and document location information.

Sources

Conversations and Family Planning

Research and Statistics

Wills, LPA and Legal Documents

After a Death

Fraud Prevention

  • Take Five to Stop Fraud -- UK fraud prevention guidance advising people to stop, challenge and protect themselves when asked for money or information

Peter Vulchev is co-founder of SuccessionKeeper, a private vault that helps families keep their financial lives organised and accessible to the right people when it matters. He spent his career across BlackRock, investment advisory teams of Apollo Global and Lone Star Funds before building SuccessionKeeper with co-founder Deyan Nenov.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute financial or legal advice. Speak to a regulated financial adviser or solicitor about your specific circumstances.

Editorial note: This article was reviewed internally by SuccessionKeeper for factual accuracy and product accuracy. It has not been reviewed by an external solicitor or regulated financial adviser.