Companies, property, bank accounts: how families keep track of their assets

With every company, property and banking relationship, family wealth becomes a little harder to keep track of. As long as one person has everything in their head, that works. At the latest in a succession, a move or an emergency, it becomes clear whether the family has the overview.

Igor Pavlovic25 October 2026 · 4 min read

In brief

Over the years, assets and responsibilities often spread across several companies, banks, properties and countries. In the end, usually only one person has the overview.
An asset overview, a calendar of deadlines and clear powers of attorney prevent costly mistakes, such as missed deadlines, inconsistent tax returns or deadlock in an emergency.
One dedicated point of contact who brings the information together and coordinates with banks, lawyers and tax advisers takes the load off the whole family.

How the overview gets lost

Hardly any family plans its asset structure on the drawing board. It grows: the business is joined by a property company, the main bank by a securities account at a second bank, the home in Switzerland by a holiday house abroad, and later perhaps a holding company for succession. Each unit has its own documents, deadlines and advisers.

This works as long as one person keeps everything in their head. It becomes a problem when that person is no longer available, when an adviser changes, or when decisions are due that require seeing the whole picture: a succession, a sale, a move or an inheritance.

What can go wrong

Deadlines for tax returns, general meetings or VAT are missed because everyone assumes someone else is taking care of it.
Tax returns of the company and the owner do not match, for example on loans, rents or salaries between the family and the company.
Accounts abroad are missing from the tax return. Since 2018, the Swiss tax authorities have received reports on foreign accounts of Swiss residents through the automatic exchange of information.
Contracts between the company and the family are not at arm's length. The tax authorities may treat this as a hidden profit distribution.
In an emergency, powers of attorney are missing. In the event of incapacity or death, nobody can act, accounts are blocked and decisions in the companies are left pending.

What a good asset overview contains

A good overview is not a folder full of statements, but one page showing the entire structure, and a list behind it that is updated every year.

What is recorded

Companies with shareholdings, officers and signing rights
Properties with owner, mortgages and use
Banking relationships, securities accounts and powers of attorney
Loans within the family and with companies
Insurance and pensions

What goes with it

Tax value and estimated market value
Responsible advisers and contacts
Deadlines and recurring dates
Liquidity: what falls due in the coming months
Where the original contracts are kept

One page for the structure, one list for the details, updated once a year.

The calendar of deadlines

Many obligations recur every year. If they are kept in a shared calendar, nothing gets lost. Typical entries are:

tax returns of the family and the companies, including extensions
annual accounts and general meetings, which must take place within six months of the end of the financial year
VAT returns, usually quarterly
mortgages that expire and fixed-rate periods
taxes and charges on properties abroad

Preparing for an emergency

The best overview is of little use if nobody is allowed to act. Check whether the following documents exist and are still up to date:

Advance care directive (Vorsorgeauftrag): determines who represents you personally and in financial matters if you lose capacity. It must be handwritten or notarised.
Bank powers of attorney for all accounts, including abroad, and whether they remain valid after death.
Signing rights in the companies, so that operations can continue.
Will and marriage contract, aligned with today's structure and with assets abroad.

Self-check: how good is your overview?

Self-check

Would your family have the overview tomorrow?

Tick what already applies today.

There is an up-to-date overview of all companies, properties and bank accounts. My partner or a family member knows where this overview is kept. All accounts and properties abroad are declared in the tax return. Loans and leases between the family and the companies are set out in writing. There is a calendar with all deadlines for taxes, annual accounts and general meetings. An advance care directive and the necessary powers of attorney exist. My advisers know each other and coordinate.

How I support families

I prepare an overview of assets, shareholdings and liquidity with you, look after your Swiss tax matters and keep track of deadlines and appointments. I liaise directly with banks, lawyers and tax advisers, so that you do not have to coordinate every question yourself. In succession and generational change, I support the financial and administrative questions.

I do not manage assets or give investment recommendations. For investment questions I work with your bank or asset manager, and for inheritance law questions with your lawyer or notary.

Igor Pavlovic is a fiduciary and auditor in Lucerne, Switzerland. He advises business owners and wealthy private individuals on tax, succession and audit, including cross-border matters.