After a Parent Dies: The First 30 Days + Where to Look for Their Money (US)

A calm, fill-in kit for the adult child handling a parent's paperwork: what to do in the first 30 days, and the official, free places to look for money that may be waiting.

If you're reading this, someone you love has died, and the paperwork has landed on you. Maybe nobody formally named you executor. Maybe there's a pile of mail on the kitchen table and you don't know which envelope matters. This kit is for that moment. It doesn't rush you, and it doesn't promise you'll find money. It gives you one place to write things down, a short list for this week, and a map of where people usually look.

WHAT YOU GET (instant download)

• The kit: a 48-page fillable PDF. Type into it on a computer with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or print it and write by hand. US Letter.
• The Money Finder spreadsheet: one row per place to look, with a status for each (searched, found, requested, received), plus tabs for states, savings bonds, death certificates and a call log. An .xlsx file for Excel or LibreOffice. No macros, no links.

WHAT'S INSIDE

Before you begin

• Read This First · This Week: Five Things · How to Use This Kit

Part 1 · The first 30 days

• Your parent's key facts · The people helping
• The first week, day by day · Weeks 2 to 4
• Death certificates: certified or photocopy? · A death certificate tracker
• Funeral arrangements: your rights
• Who to notify: government · banks, cards and credit bureaus · household, subscriptions and mail
• The papers people will ask for · Questions for the probate court clerk
• Bills and debt collectors · A call log

Part 2 · Where to look for their money

• The Money Finder map
• Clues in the house (mail, tax forms, email)
• Their credit reports
• Bank and credit union accounts
• Stocks, brokerage accounts and IRAs
• State unclaimed property, every state, with a search log
• Savings bonds, with an inventory page
• Life insurance and annuities
• Pensions and retirement plans
• Federal places money can wait
• Taxes: where to ask
• Scams that target grieving families
• If you're handling this from far away

Part 3 · Letters

• Before you send a letter
• Five sample letters: four that only ask for information (bank or credit union, life insurance or annuity, a former employer's retirement plan, a debt collector) and one that gives notice of a death to a company. None of them closes an account or moves money.

At the end

• After the first 30 days · Notes · The official sources we used · Your files and questions

OFFICIAL SOURCES, NOT GUESSES

The kit names the official source for its facts, on the page where you use them: government agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the IRS, the CFPB, the FDIC, TreasuryDirect, PBGC and the FTC, plus groups like NAUPA and the NAIC, and the credit bureaus' own pages. They're all listed on page 47. We checked them on each source's own website in October 2026. Agencies change their pages, so the kit asks you to confirm details on the official site before you act.

SEARCHING IS FREE

The official state unclaimed property sites and the NAIC life insurance locator are free to use. You never need to pay a "finder" to search for you. The kit shows you where those official sites are.

WHO IT'S FOR

• The son or daughter handling a parent's paperwork in the US, whether or not you've been named executor yet.
• Someone helping from another state.
• Anyone who wants a single place to keep the calls, the papers and the search results.

WHO IT'S NOT FOR

• If you are the surviving spouse: the CFPB's free guide "Taking Control of Your Finances: Help for Surviving Spouses" is written for you. Start there; it's free on consumerfinance.gov.
• If you need an estate accounting tool for a court, a will, or legal forms: this is an organizer, not a legal document.
• If you're outside the US: the agencies and programs in this kit are American.

WHAT IT DOESN'T DO

It doesn't find accounts for you, and it can't promise that any money exists. Many searches come back empty, and that's a real answer too. It doesn't tell you how to divide an estate, what you may close or move, or whether you have the authority to act. Those rules are set by each state; the kit gives you questions to ask the probate court clerk.

QUESTIONS

Can I print it? Yes. It's US Letter and prints in black and white.

Is my information private? We never see what you write. The files stay wherever you save them. The spreadsheet has no scripts, macros or links.

Is it specific to my state? No. It works anywhere in the US and points you to your parent's state for state rules.

What if it's not right for me? Write to us through our Contact page within 14 days of purchase and we'll make it right.

Product questions? Send us a message through our Contact page. We can answer questions about the kit, not about your personal situation.

ALSO FROM OAKBRIGHT

Planning ahead for your own family? The Family Emergency Binder helps you write down where everything is, before anyone needs to look.

After a Parent Dies is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice, and it is not a legal document. Rules vary by state; ask the probate court clerk in the county where your parent lived or a licensed attorney in that state. Oakbright is not a law firm. This kit does not find accounts for you and cannot promise that any money exists. Oakbright is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency or organization named in the kit. Treasury Hunt® is a registered mark of the U.S. Treasury.