₹1 Lakh Crore Lying Unclaimed — Don’t Let Your Family Add to It - Most Families Lose Wealth Because They Can’t Find It

Unclaimed wealth in India has crossed staggering numbers.

• ₹67,000 crore in bank deposits (RBI, June 2025)

• ₹22,000+ crore in unclaimed life insurance (IRDAI, 2023–24)

• ₹8,500 crore in inoperative EPF accounts (EPFO, 2023–24)

This is not abstract data. These are the life savings of parents, spouses, and grandparents—frozen because families don’t know where the accounts are, which policies exist, or even where the property papers are kept.

In my professional work, I repeatedly meet families who say:

• “We don’t know where the original flat agreement is.”

• “Father mentioned investments, but no one knows which bank.”

• “We found one insurance policy, but don’t know if there are others.”

The result:

• Years of delay in accessing assets.

• Succession battles between heirs because the will was never written.

• Permanent loss when documents are missing or assets are never traced.

A will is the best safeguard. It ensures clarity, reduces disputes, and gives heirs legal authority. But even if you cannot prepare a will immediately, you can still protect your family by leaving behind a clear record of what you own.

At minimum, your family should know:

• Where your property papers are kept.

• Which banks hold your accounts and deposits.

• Your EPF/retirement accounts and UAN details.

• Insurance policies and the nominees.

• Mutual funds, shares, or demat account details.

• Digital assets—email, lockers, crypto wallets.

None of this requires sophisticated legal drafting. It requires discipline: sit down, catalogue your assets, and store the information securely.

I have created a simplified Excel template for this purpose. It has six categories:

1. Personal contacts

2. Identity documents

3. Financial assets (bank, FD, insurance, PF, shares, mutual funds)

4. Real estate and property

5. Digital assets (e-mail, lockers, wallets)

6. Estate planning (wills, nominations, executors)

Six columns capture everything: institution/provider, account number, nominee, document location, remarks.

Estate planning is not only for the wealthy. Every salaried professional, every business owner, every family has something worth recording. If you do not leave clarity, you leave chaos.