Family readiness guides
Plain-language explainers on nomination, wills, succession, insurance claims and digital access — written for Indian families, with the paperwork and timelines spelled out.
Nomination vs Will in India: who actually inherits?
Most Indian families assume the nominee keeps the money. In law, a nominee usually receives it on behalf of the legal heirs. Here is how the two instruments actually interact.
Legal heir certificate vs succession certificate: which one do you need?
Two documents with similar names, issued by different authorities, for different purposes. Families routinely apply for the wrong one and lose months.
How to write a will in India (and what makes it valid)
An Indian will needs no lawyer, no stamp paper and no registration to be valid. It does need two witnesses and precision. Here is the full checklist.
The estate planning checklist for Indian families
Eight categories, roughly forty line items. Work through them once and your family will never need to guess.
Life insurance death claim in India: the process, documents and timelines
A clean life insurance claim settles in about 15 to 30 days. Most delays trace back to three or four avoidable document problems.
What to do when a parent dies in India: the first 90 days
Ordered by deadline, not by importance. The first week is documents; the first month is money; the first quarter is transfers and tax.
Digital assets after death: what your family cannot access without you
A locked primary email account can strand a family more effectively than a locked bank account, because it is the recovery path for everything else.
Unclaimed financial assets in India: how families lose money they own
Thousands of crores sit unclaimed in Indian banks, insurers and the IEPF — almost entirely because a family did not know the account existed.
NRI estate planning: Indian assets, foreign residence
Holding assets in two countries doubles the paperwork and, done badly, doubles the probate. The structural decisions matter more than the documents.
The family emergency information kit: what to write down before you need it
Not estate planning — emergency planning. What your family needs within two hours of a hospitalisation, an accident or a sudden absence.
Saarthi is a readiness and organization platform. It does not provide legal, tax, investment, or financial advice. Any generated drafts, checklists, or recommendations should be reviewed with qualified professionals before use.