039: Finding Hidden Assets with Stephen Walter of Hello Sunset

Sam Price sits down with Stephen Walter, CEO of Hello Sunset, to tackle one of probate's most frustrating problems: finding a decedent's assets and debts when the family has no idea where to start. No bank statements. No policy numbers. No phone access. Just a death certificate and a lot of unanswered questions. Hello Sunset changes that — running deep searches across bank accounts, retirement funds, life insurance, brokerage accounts, real estate, unclaimed property, and credit files, then delivering a full financial picture of the estate. Stephen brings a background in corporate law and tech entrepreneurship to a problem that's only getting harder as financial lives grow more scattered. The platform is free to use, pulls data directly from all three credit bureaus and the IRS, and can return results in as little as one to two days. If your clients are walking into their first consultation empty-handed, this episode is required listening. In this episode, you will hear: Why families can't find a decedent's assets — and why it's only getting harder How Hello Sunset searches bank accounts, retirement funds, life insurance, real estate, and credit files in a single automated process Why brokerages are the hardest financial institutions to get information from after a death The real estate fraud risk that spikes the moment an obituary goes public How the platform pulls IRS filings going back 10 years to surface accounts executors would never think to look for Why Hello Sunset is free to use — and how the business model actually works What executors and attorneys should do before the first consultation to walk in with a full asset map Resources from this Episode The 6-Stage Probate Process: How to Navigate California Probate: https://a.co/d/82310Rw  https://www.hellosunset.com/attorneys Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.