# The Entities Module

The FIRM Guide (thefirmguide.com) — companion to The Recoverable Family.
Fill this in privately (any text editor or by hand), then store it in your Vault.


## Secure Guide Starter Template — Entities

> This template belongs in The Secure Guide, stored within The Vault. Maintain one detail block per entity; update at formation, dissolution, or role changes.

Legal entities work by creating separation — between you and the asset, between personal identity and legal ownership. For privacy and asset protection, that opacity is the feature. For the heirs and executors who must navigate the estate, it becomes a serious problem unless every layer of separation is matched by a compensating layer of documentation: a property held in an LLC does not appear in a title search under your name; a trust-held account does not appear on a statement that names you. If it is not documented here, it may not be found.

The practical standard: every entity in your financial life is discoverable through The Secure Guide, every formation document is locatable, and every successor is named in the entity's own governing documents — not just in this system. Trusts appear both here and in the Estate Plan Module by design: here as operating structures (what they hold, who has authority day to day), there as estate instruments (how they distribute). If a trust shows up in both places, that is correct. And if you are uncertain whether something qualifies — a side business never incorporated, a handshake partnership — record it anyway; whether it needs a formal structure is a question for your attorney, but whether it is documented is one you can answer right now.

### Entity Inventory
| Entity Name | Type | Purpose | Key Assets Held | State of Formation | EIN | Formation Date | Operating / Trust Agreement Location |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | LLC |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   | Trust |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   | Corporation |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   | Partnership |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |   |   |

### Entity Detail — Per Entity



> Duplicate the Entity Detail block for each entity.

### Business and Entity Tax Records
| Entity | Tax Return Type | Years Retained | Storage Location | CPA Contact |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |   |

> For general tax record retention guidance, see the Tax Planning and Documentation Module.

### Intellectual Property Inventory (entity-owned)
| Item | Type | Status | Income-Generating | Registration / Protection | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | Patent |   | Yes / No |   |   |
|   | Trademark |   | Yes / No |   |   |
|   | Copyright |   | Yes / No |   |   |
|   | Proprietary content / methodology |   | Yes / No |   |   |
|   | Domain names with business value |   | Yes / No |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |   |

> Only IP owned BY an entity belongs in this table — the LLC's trademark, the company's patents, content the business holds title to. Personally-owned IP lives with the assets Modules: income-generating → Digital Financial Assets; latent-value → Other Assets; kept-for-meaning → Digital Legacy. If a business incorporates, its IP moves into this table deliberately, not by accident.

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## Family Guide Starter Template — Entities

> This template belongs in The Family Guide. It gives heirs an overview of the entities and the contacts who manage them.

> In the matching Secure Guide section: entity inventory and per-entity detail, tax records, IP inventory.
>
> That detail is what makes recovery possible — and it is protected in the Vault, which opens with The Vault Key. The key is never written here, by design. The people listed on this page know how it is kept, and the steward's job is to keep that path current, so this page never leads to a locked door.

### Legal Entities — Overview
| Entity Name | Type | Purpose | Primary Contact |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |

### Key Contacts for Entity Matters
| Name | Role | Entity | Phone | Email |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|   | Attorney |   |   |   |
|   | Accountant / CPA |   |   |   |
|   | Registered Agent |   |   |   |
|   |   |   |   |   |

> Each entity has its own operating agreement or trust document, tax identification number, and filing requirements. Do not assume that assets held by these entities transfer through the will — each has its own succession provisions. Contact the attorney before taking any action with respect to these entities. Full entity documentation is in The Secure Guide.

### Additional Guidance