What are contacts in Estateably?
What are contacts in Estateably?
Contacts represent the individuals or organizations involved in an estate or trust file. These may include:
Beneficiaries
Executors
Trustees
Legal representatives
Other related parties
Adding contacts ensures their information can be used throughout the file for forms, letters, distributions, and reporting.
How do I add a beneficiary or contact to a file?
How do I add a beneficiary or contact to a file?
To add a beneficiary profile:
Open the file.
Navigate to the Contacts section.
Click Add New in the top-right corner.
Enter the required information, such as:
Legacy type
Name
Contact details
Relationship to the deceased
Enter any additional applicable information.
Click Add to save the contact.
Once added, the contact will appear in the Contacts list for the file.
What information can I include in a beneficiary profile?
What information can I include in a beneficiary profile?
When creating a beneficiary profile, you can enter information such as:
Legacy type
Name and contact information
Mailing address
Relationship to the deceased
Allocation percentage or fraction (for residual beneficiaries)
Additional optional information may include:
Name listed in the will (if different)
SIN or SSN
Date of birth
Date of death
Cash bequest
Money owed to the deceased
Legal representative information
Some optional fields may vary depending on your jurisdiction.
What does “Legacy Type” mean?
What does “Legacy Type” mean?
The Legacy Type identifies what the beneficiary is entitled to receive from the estate.
Common types include:
Residual Beneficiary
A beneficiary who receives a share of the residue of the estate after debts, expenses, and specific gifts are paid.
Legacy Beneficiary
A beneficiary who receives a specific gift or cash bequest.
Can I edit a beneficiary’s information after it has been added?
Can I edit a beneficiary’s information after it has been added?
Yes.
To edit a beneficiary profile:
Navigate to the Contacts section of the file.
Locate the beneficiary in the list.
Click the three-dot menu (ellipsis) next to their name.
Select Edit.
Update the information as needed.
Click Save to apply the changes.
Can a beneficiary also be added as an executor?
Can a beneficiary also be added as an executor?
Yes.
If a beneficiary is also acting as an executor, you can create an executor profile using their existing information.
To do this:
Click the three-dot menu next to the beneficiary’s name.
Select Make Executor.
Their information will be copied into the Executor section of the file.
Why is it important to add contacts before recording distributions?
Why is it important to add contacts before recording distributions?
Contacts must be added before they can be selected in other parts of the file.
For example, beneficiaries must exist in the Contacts section before you can:
Record distributions
Generate reports
Populate forms and letters
Adding contacts early helps ensure the file is fully prepared for later stages of administration.
Can I generate reports from the Contacts section?
Can I generate reports from the Contacts section?
Yes.
Estateably allows you to generate a List of Beneficiaries report, which includes the details of all beneficiaries entered in the file.
This report can be useful for:
Sharing with clients
Reviewing beneficiary information
Maintaining physical records for your file
How do I generate the List of Beneficiaries report?
How do I generate the List of Beneficiaries report?
To generate the report:
Go to the Contacts section of the file.
Click Reports in the top-right corner.
Select List of Beneficiaries.
Customize the report in the pre-generation screen, including:
File format (Word or PDF)
Whether to include residual beneficiaries, legacy beneficiaries, or both.
Click Generate.
The document will download to your browser’s Downloads folder.
What are Saved Contacts?
What are Saved Contacts?
Saved Contacts allow your organization to store commonly used professionals or service providers so they can easily be reused across files.
Examples include:
Accountants
Bank representatives
Certified valuators
Other professionals involved in estate administration
How do I access Saved Contacts?
How do I access Saved Contacts?
To view or manage saved contacts:
Click the Settings (gear icon) in the top-right corner.
Navigate to Management in the left-hand menu.
Select Saved Contacts.
This page allows you to manage contacts used across your organization.
How do I add a saved contact?
How do I add a saved contact?
To add a saved contact:
Navigate to Settings → Management → Saved Contacts.
Click Add New.
Select the contact type.
Enter the contact’s details.
Click Save.
The saved contact can now be reused across files.
Can I filter or manage saved contacts?
Can I filter or manage saved contacts?
Yes.
Within the Saved Contacts section, you can:
Filter contacts by type
Edit existing contact details
Review stored contact information
This makes it easier to locate frequently used professionals.