Templates · Estates

Executors aligned. Beneficiaries informed.

For executors and co-executors coordinating an estate after a death. Multi-executor approvals on the record, beneficiaries kept informed, the distribution waterfall captured in the ledger, court-ready accounting waiting at the end. The decision layer that sits between the probate attorney, the CPA, and the family.

Quick answer

EnDAO is the co-executor coordination and beneficiary transparency layer for estate administration. When two or more executors must make joint decisions — selling the house, paying a contested claim, timing distributions — every approval is recorded with timestamps and attributions. Beneficiaries receive a ledger view configured for their interest level, reducing suspicion before it becomes litigation. EnDAO does not file with probate courts, appraise assets, or prepare Form 706 or Form 1041; those functions stay with the probate attorney and CPA.

What this looks like

A page from one estate’s ledger.

Estate of R. Whitfield · 2 co-executors

Q1 2026 · 5 beneficiaries
Jan 12Brokerage account · transferred into estate+$640,000.00
Jan 28Attorney fees · probate retainer−$18,000.00
Feb 20Specific bequest · charitable beneficiary−$50,000.00
Mar 25Interim distribution · 4 residuary beneficiaries−$140,000.00

Where co-executors go wrong

What turns an estate into a lawsuit, and what the ledger prevents.

Many contested estates do not turn on what the will said. They turn on what beneficiaries did and did not see while the estate was open. Co-executors out of sync. Distributions made without explanation. Inventory items surfacing months apart. EnDAO is the shared ledger that closes those gaps before they become disputes.

What goes wrong

  • Co-executors named jointly disagree on selling the house, timing distributions, paying a contested claim
  • Beneficiary suspicion turns into litigation when no shared ledger exists
  • Asset inventory drifts — accounts, safe-deposit contents, digital assets surface months apart
  • Distribution waterfall computed in spreadsheets that break on partial-interest assets
  • Final accounting takes weeks to compile from receipts and bank statements

What EnDAO does

  • Every disbursement requires the co-executor approvals the executors agreed to up front
  • Beneficiaries see the ledger view appropriate to their interest — interim distributions, accounting summary
  • Inventory captured as it surfaces, with the asset’s source visible in the record
  • Distribution math computed against the ledger so every share is traceable to its underlying assets
  • Court-acceptable accounting exportable in a single step at closing

What’s built in

The things every estate needs, already there.

Shared ledger

Every contribution, every spend, every approval recorded once and visible to all members.

Decision thresholds

Set what fraction of members must approve before money moves. Change it any time with the same vote.

Membership records

Who is in the group, when they joined, what they contributed. Members can leave; the record remains.

Notifications

When a decision needs you, when a contribution arrives, when a transaction is approved.

Works for

All kinds of estates.

  • Testate estates with a single executor
  • Multi-executor / co-executor estates
  • Intestate administration
  • Small estates / summary administration
  • Contested estates (will challenges, creditor disputes)
  • Ancillary probate (out-of-state real property)
  • Revocable trusts transitioning into post-death administration
  • Estates with charitable or split-interest bequests

Common questions

Questions executors ask first.

Can my co-executor and I both have to approve disbursements before money moves?
Yes. Set the approval rule at setup — both co-executors required for any spend, both required only above a threshold, or any pattern your attorney recommends. Until the rule is met, the disbursement stays pending; once met, it executes and lands on the ledger.
Will beneficiaries see the same ledger I see, or a redacted view?
Configurable per role. Residuary beneficiaries can see interim distributions and the running accounting; specific-bequest beneficiaries can see only their bequest; co-executors see everything. Defaults are set at setup; adjustable as the estate progresses.
Does this replace my probate attorney or the CPA filing the estate tax return?
No. EnDAO does not file with probate court, does not appraise assets, and does not prepare Form 706 or Form 1041. Those stay with the attorney, CPA, appraiser, and title company. EnDAO records the decisions you and your co-executor make so each of those professionals has clean documentation when they need it.
Can I export an accounting the probate court will accept?
Yes. The full ledger — receipts, disbursements, distributions, beneficiary acknowledgements — exports in formats your court and your attorney can work with. Final accountings have always been a reconstruction job; with the ledger, they are an export.
What happens when the estate closes?
The final accounting exports for the court. Beneficiaries retain read-only access to the historical record so they can reference what happened during administration — particularly useful if a question surfaces months or years after closing.
How does this differ from EstateExec or Estateably?
EstateExec is designed for the solo DIY executor — a clean accounting interface for tracking estate assets and producing a final accounting. Estateably is built for probate attorneys — document automation, court-filing workflows, and Clio integration. EnDAO serves the co-executor coordination and beneficiary-transparency layer: joint approvals between multiple executors, configurable beneficiary visibility, and the tamper-evident decision log that proves why the estate did what it did. The tools address different parts of the same process and can be used alongside each other.

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