02 Jan How can I get the inventory of my mother’s estate?

Q. How do I get the inventory of my mother’s estate? The executor refuses to talk to me.
— Frustrated

A. We’re sorry to hear about these troubles.

The refusal of the executor to speak with you is problematic.

It’s also potentially a violation of his or her fiduciary duty, said Tom Szieber, a trusts and estates attorney with Aziz & Associates in Clifton and Summit.

“An executor serves in a fiduciary capacity and is accountable to the beneficiaries of the estate,” he said. “He or she has an obligation to keep beneficiaries reasonably informed about the status and details of the administration of the estate.”

An inventory provides a snapshot of the estate’s assets at the time of the decedent’s death. Under New Jersey law, a beneficiary can petition the probate court to compel an inventory where an executor will not provide one voluntarily, Szieber said.

“Depending on how much time has passed since the decedent’s death, it may be more useful to demand an accounting, which provides not only a date-of-death inventory, but information regarding income, expenses, and distributions of the estate,” he said. “In New Jersey, N.J.S.A. 3B:17-2 provides that an executor is not required to provide an accounting until the expiration of one year after his appointment, but, after that period of time, can be compelled to render a formal accounting to interested parties.”

If an executor fails to render an accounting, either willfully or due to neglect, he or she may be found to be in breach of their fiduciary duty and, potentially, removed, Szieber said.

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This story was originally published in January 2026. 

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