Assets include real estate, stocks, mutual funds, jewelry, furniture, cars, and so forth: anything that's worth money (see Managing Assets for a general discussion on the topic).
To manage assets using EstateExec, begin by listing all significant and relevant assets in the Assets tab (see Enter Asset for specific EstateExec instructions, and Taking Inventory for some practical advice).
Next you will want to plan the disposition of those assets: by the end of the estate settlement process, no assets should remain in the estate. To help you with this, the Assets table contains a Plan column, which you can set to one of the following:
Once you have a complete plan (or even before), you can take action to "settle" individual assets:
You can also directly access the desired settlement dialog by clicking the corresponding cell in the asset's row (e.g., Distributed).
You can delete an asset from the Assets tab by selecting its row and then pressing the Delete button at the top of the tab.
Don't delete an asset just because it has been sold, distributed, or otherwise settled. Only delete assets that were created by mistake.
If you delete an asset that actually existed in the estate, EstateExec will no longer be able to generate accurate Inventory Reports from the time of death, or a Final Accounting Report that shows changes to the estate over time. Moreover, when you delete an asset, all references to it will be deleted, including any sales proceeds or distributions.
If you want to see just the current contents of an estate, simply filter the Assets table to include only those with a Value Now > 0.
The Estate Disposition chart on the Overview tab provides feedback on your overall plan and status in implementing that plan. Eventually, all assets should have a plan, and all plans should have been carried out. The Heir Allocation charts provide feedback on how your plan is meeting the percentage heir allocation targets.
The following topics provide more detailed instruction on using EstateExec to manage assets: