Family Financial Inventory for Germany: What to List So Your Family Can Find It

Most couples split the money admin without ever saying so. One person opened the accounts, knows which bank holds the savings and where the pension letters go. That works until that person is ill, travelling or simply can't be reached. Then the other one is left with old statements and a list of passwords that may or may not still work. A family financial inventory fixes the first half of that problem: one page that says what you own, what you owe, and how your family gets to it. This guide covers what to list if your household is in Germany, how often to update it, and how to keep one in Notenz.

What goes into a family financial inventory

A financial inventory lists everything your household owns and everything it owes. Assets minus debts is your net worth. For a household in Germany, this checklist covers almost everyone:

• Bank accounts: current account (Girokonto), instant access savings (Tagesgeld), fixed-term deposits (Festgeld), and the old savings account nobody uses any more.
• Investments: brokerage account (Depot), ETF savings plan, crypto.
• Pensions: state pension, company pension, private pension, Riester and Rürup.
• Insurance with a surrender value, such as an endowment policy.
• Property: your flat or house, and any property you rent out.
• Loans: mortgage, consumer loan, car loan, each with the remaining balance and the end date.
• Other: building savings (Bausparvertrag), gold, money you lent to someone.
• Accounts abroad, if you moved here. They are the ones a partner is least likely to know about.

The state pension needs a different treatment. It is not a balance you can add up. Your yearly Renteninformation from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung shows the monthly amount you can expect. You get it every year from age 27, and from 55 a fuller Rentenauskunft replaces it every three years. Record that monthly figure separately and keep it out of your net worth.

What to record for each item

You don't need exact figures. For each item, note:

• the type and a name, for example "Tagesgeld at ING"
• an approximate value and the as-of date the value refers to
• who owns it: you, your partner, or both of you jointly
• for loans, the remaining balance and end date; for pensions, the monthly amount
• where the paperwork is, and who to contact

Leave out passwords, PINs, TANs and full IBANs. An inventory gets printed, copied and emailed, and every secret in it travels along. Write down where the access details are instead, for example "in the password manager" or "in the blue folder in the study". The last four digits of an account number are enough to tell accounts apart.

How often to update it

Once a year is enough for most households. The turn of the year works well, because many annual statements arrive then. Try to take all values from the same period, so you don't mix old and new figures. Update it as well when something changes: a new account, a paid-off loan, a new Renteninformation, a move. If there are two of you, both add your own part. One person rarely knows everything.

What your family needs if you can't be reached

There are two separate problems. The first is that nobody knows which accounts exist. Your inventory solves that. The second is that knowing about an account doesn't give anyone the right to use it. That takes a power of attorney (Vollmacht) the bank accepts. Ask your bank whether it has its own form, and get advice on powers of attorney.

Your family also has to find the inventory. A file on your laptop or a printout in a drawer goes stale or stays hidden. For each item, note who should know about it and how they get to the paperwork. Our digital estate planning checklist and the guide on sharing passwords with family for emergencies cover the access side.

What an inventory shows you

Once everything is in one place, you notice things that single statements hide:

• Where your money sits. How much is in accounts, in investments, in property?
• How long your savings last. Divide the money in your accounts by your monthly fixed costs.
• Deposit protection. German statutory deposit protection covers up to 100,000 euros per person and bank, however many accounts you have there. For a joint account of two, each holder's share counts, so up to 200,000 euros according to BaFin.
• Gaps. No Renteninformation on file? A loan without an end date?

How the wealth overview works in Notenz

Notenz is a household admin hub for Germany: bills, subscriptions, contracts, insurance, documents and dates in one place. The new wealth overview adds what you own and owe. Pick what you have, such as a current account, a Depot, a pension or a property. Then enter a name, a value and today's date. You type the values in yourself, in euros, so convert an account abroad first. Notenz does not connect to your bank and does not value property.

Your total and charts are free. You see your wealth from what you entered, split into cash, investments, property and other, with loans taken off. Items with an as-of date older than six months are flagged.

Guardian, our paid plan, adds:

• What your entries show: how your wealth is split, how many months the money in your accounts covers the fixed costs Notenz already knows or the spending you entered, a note when your entries show more than 100,000 euros per person at one bank, loans ending soon, and your pensions against a target income you set. Any estimate of future value always shows the growth rate you picked.
• Access notes: for each item, note where to find access and pick the people who should know. If a note looks like a password or PIN, Notenz tells you.
• Handover if you can't be reached: you check in regularly. Miss a check-in and a trusted contact gets an email. If the silence goes on, the people you chose receive your vault, including these notes. Notenz shows how many items already have a way in for your family. The dead man's switch guide explains how this works, and check-in apps vs a dead man's switch shows where it fits.
• Shared with your partner: your partner in your Notenz household sees the same items, and you can filter by me, partner or joint.
• Reminders and files: an email reminder to refresh a value, and a place for the statement or pension letter as a photo or PDF.

The wealth overview gives no investment, tax or legal advice. It only shows what you entered and never recommends products. Guardian prices are in our pricing section. Start free.

FAQ

Do I need a spreadsheet template? No. The checklist above works on paper, in a spreadsheet or in an app. What matters is that every item has an as-of date and your family can find it.

Does my German state pension count towards net worth? Not as a lump sum. The Renteninformation shows a monthly pension, not a balance. Record it separately so you can see what you can expect each month.

Should I write passwords in my inventory? No. Note where the access details are. Passwords belong in a password manager or a vault with planned emergency access.

Does Notenz connect to my bank? No. You enter the values yourself, so Notenz never needs access to your online banking.

This article is general information, not investment, tax or legal advice.