Holding It While the Process Runs

In practice it sits at the representative's house. That is understandable and it is a poor arrangement: it is uninsured for that purpose, it is in the personal custody of one interested party, and every later question about condition or completeness lands on that person alone.

• Held in the estate's name, not an individual's.
• Access limited to individuals named in writing.
• Every access event recorded and timestamped.
• Month to month — no term, because probate has no term.
• Records available to counsel and to the court if required.

1. 01Open the holding in the estate's name with the authority documented.
2. 02Record the named individuals, and any later change to that list.
3. 03Store in a 9R-rated vault behind two 14,000-pound doors.
4. 04Log every access, with who and when.
5. 05Provide movement records to you or anyone you name.

Adding or removing a named individual is a documented event rather than a phone call. Representatives sometimes find that inconvenient; it is precisely the property that makes the arrangement worth having when a beneficiary later asks who had access.

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