Before creating your will, you’ll need a clear picture of what you own. Use this checklist to gather information about your assets. You don’t need exact values for everything—estimates are fine for most items.
☐ Family home — address, ownership type (sole/joint/tenants in common)
☐ Investment properties — addresses, ownership details
☐ Holiday home or timeshare
☐ Vacant land
☐ Property overseas
☐ Outstanding mortgages on any property
☐ Everyday bank accounts — bank name, approximate balance
☐ Savings accounts
☐ Term deposits
☐ Offset accounts
☐ Joint accounts — names of other account holders
☐ Cash kept at home
☐ Money owed to you by others
☐ Superannuation fund(s) — fund name, approximate balance
☐ Current binding death benefit nomination? (Yes/No/Unsure)
☐ Life insurance policies — provider, sum insured
☐ Income protection or TPD insurance
☐ Insurance held inside super
☐ Shares — companies, approximate value
☐ Managed funds
☐ Bonds or fixed interest investments
☐ Cryptocurrency holdings
☐ Investment apps (Raiz, Spaceship, etc.)
☐ Business ownership or partnership interests
☐ Cars — make, model, approximate value
☐ Motorcycles
☐ Caravan or camper trailer
☐ Boat or jet ski
☐ Other recreational vehicles
☐ Jewellery — significant pieces
☐ Artwork
☐ Antiques or collectibles
☐ Wine collection
☐ Musical instruments
☐ Sporting memorabilia
☐ Firearms (note: special rules apply to transfer)
☐ Furniture — any significant pieces
☐ Electronics and appliances
☐ Tools and equipment
☐ Approximate total value of general household contents
☐ Online accounts with monetary value (PayPal, store credits)
☐ Domain names or websites
☐ Digital music, movies, ebooks (note: most are licensed, not owned)
☐ Cryptocurrency wallets — how to access
☐ Online businesses or income streams
☐ Social media accounts with commercial value
☐ Photos and files you want preserved
☐ Business name and structure (sole trader/company/partnership/trust)
☐ Business property or equipment
☐ Stock or inventory
☐ Business bank accounts
☐ Accounts receivable
☐ Intellectual property (trademarks, patents)
☐ Goodwill value
☐ Frequent flyer points (some transferable, some not)
☐ Prepaid memberships or subscriptions
☐ Storage unit contents
☐ Items on loan to others
☐ Expected inheritance from others
☐ Pending legal claims or settlements
These reduce your estate value and should also be listed:
☐ Credit cards — balances
☐ Personal loans
☐ Car finance
☐ HECS/HELP debt
☐ Money you owe others
☐ Guarantees you’ve provided for others’ debts
Use this space for anything that doesn’t fit above, or items needing explanation:
With your asset list complete, you’re ready to start thinking about who should receive what.
This checklist is for information gathering only. It does not constitute legal advice.