How to Invite Beneficiaries Into an Estate in Celestial Divide

Once your assets are uploaded, the next step is bringing in the people who matter most. Here's how to invite beneficiaries, configure split percentages, set disparity tolerance, and kick off the bidding process — from the executor's point of view.

What This Guide Covers

• Navigating to the estate invitation area
• Inviting beneficiaries and managing pending invitations
• Using the advanced invitation form
• Understanding split percentages and disparity tolerance
• Finalizing the estate and launching the bidding timeline

This walkthrough is written from the executor's perspective. If you're an attorney or trust officer managing a matter on behalf of a client, some screens may look different — but the core workflow is the same.

Step 1: Get to the Invitation Area

From the homepage, go to Settings. You'll see your estate name and, below it, your estate members.

If you've already uploaded beneficiaries, they'll appear here. If not, this is where you start.

Step 2: Invite a Beneficiary

Select Invite Estate Members and click Add New Member. From the member type dropdown, choose Beneficiary, then send the invitation.

Pending invitations appear in the list as soon as they're sent. From there, you have a few options:

• Cancel an invitation if it was sent in error
• Resend if a member hasn't received their email or needs a follow-up

Step 3: Use the Advanced Invitation Form

For a smoother onboarding experience, use the Advanced Invitation Form. This lets you pre-fill information for the beneficiary — so when they log in for the first time, they're not starting from a blank slate.

Less administrative friction for them means faster engagement with the actual bidding process. This is worth doing if you want beneficiaries to hit the ground running.

Step 4: Review Bidding Progress and Split Percentages

Once beneficiaries are added to the estate, a few new sections become visible in the executor view.

Bidding progress shows you how far along the process is. Before it's been kicked off, you'll see the total asset count and confirmation that no progress has been made yet.

Split percentages show each beneficiary's inheritance share. In an estate with four beneficiaries, each starts at 25%. These percentages inform how the system models the allocation.

Step 5: Understand Disparity Tolerance

Disparity tolerance tells the system how much variation is acceptable between beneficiary outcomes at the end of the bidding process.

At 0% disparity, the system requires that every beneficiary receives the exact same total value from the estate. No rounding, no approximations — equal outcomes across the board.

Higher tolerance values allow more flexibility when the math doesn't divide cleanly. This becomes relevant in estates with complex or illiquid assets, where precise equity isn't always achievable without trade-offs. A dedicated video and guide are coming that go deeper on how disparity tolerance works across different estate scenarios.

Step 6: Finalize the Setup and Kick Off Bidding

When everything is in place — assets uploaded, beneficiaries invited, settings confirmed — go back to the homepage and select Finalize Setup.

This is a checkpoint worth taking seriously. Once you finalize:

• Settings cannot be changed on the backend
• Assets cannot be edited

This is the last opportunity to make adjustments before the process goes live.

After confirming, a one-week bidding window opens. Beneficiaries will be notified to log in and begin bidding on the estate's assets within that timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I invite beneficiaries before all assets are uploaded?

Yes. You can invite beneficiaries at any point during setup. However, beneficiaries won't be able to place bids until the estate is finalized — so there's no harm in sending invitations early while you complete the asset list.

What happens if a beneficiary doesn't respond to the invitation?

Pending invitations remain visible in the estate settings view. You can resend the invitation from there. If a beneficiary never accepts before the estate is finalized, they won't be included in the bidding process.

Can I change split percentages after inviting beneficiaries?

Yes — split percentages can be adjusted before you finalize the estate. Once you click Finalize Setup, those values are locked in and the bidding window opens.

What does disparity tolerance affect in practice?

Disparity tolerance controls how tightly the solver balances total allocated value across beneficiaries. At 0%, every beneficiary must receive exactly equal value — which may not always be possible with indivisible assets. A small tolerance (e.g., 5%) gives the solver room to find a practical solution without sacrificing fairness significantly.

How long does the bidding window stay open?

The bidding window is one week from the time you finalize the estate. Beneficiaries are notified automatically and can log in at any time during that window to submit their valuations.

Celestial Divide is estate asset division software built for professionals. It helps executors, estate attorneys, trust officers, and family law practitioners manage asset allocation, document every decision, and produce defensible outcomes — without spreadsheets or manual negotiation.