Our estate is very simple - house, car, savings, 401K, and IRA. And of course stuff. I plan on making a notebook with all info including legal docs, account info, letter of instruction regarding last wishes and notes (provenance of various valuable items, family history, who the relatives in the photos are etc...) DD is an only child so I want to make it as simple as possible. I would like her to think her parents had their "chit" together. Although not deceased yet, the lack of non-transparency among DHs siblings who are currently overseeing MILs health and financial decisions is troubling. We are too far away to be actively involved so it is easy for them to leave us in the dark and not the way the lawyer meant for it to be. There was an article in today's local newspaper about an attorney here who handles estates of those who die without heirs. She charges a minimum of $300 hr from the estate to straighten the messes out.