When someone passes away there are many things that an Executor needs to look after. An Executor needs to make arrangements with a funeral home for cremation or burial.
Looking into the future I see some of this being done with proper identification and documentation on line. Can you see questions and pictures and check marks and prices that help executors make the needed decisions? I can.
The first part would be the familiar questions: name, address, birth date, father’s name and place of birth, mother’s maiden name and place of birth. Married, partner, divorced…children….
The next would be cremation or burial. Service or no service? Flowers or no flowers? Newspaper notice or no notice?…Twice I have had to go to a funeral home to make arrangements for younger brothers who had died unexpectantly and it was very emotional.
An Executor needs to try and locate a will, next of kin, or beneficiaries. There are many times Executor Assists has been hired to search for documents or specific information in a residence. (It might be an insurance policy or a lease agreement for an apartment or vehicle)
Although a safety deposit box may have been secured, with a death certificate and proof that you are the Executor or next of kin usually you are able to ask to check to see if there is a will in the box.
Bank accounts, credit cards, etc. need to be frozen. Executor Assists can help search for the information you need in order to do this. Sometimes it is easy to find what is needed yet in one estate we found evidence of 19 different active bank accounts for the Executor to check.
Often we realize that MANY people have keys to a residence. (As executor you are responsible if items “go missing.” Executor Assists can have the locks changed. In one home we changed five locks.
In some places a detailed inventory of belongings, photographs or an appraisal of items is needed. Executor Assists can do this.
Often we are asked to remove perishables (like food) right away.
At times we are asked to donate items of clothing and used linens or kitchen items. Sometimes clients have a specific charity they want to work with yet other times we use the charity that is most convenient.
Executor Assists can stage a home for sale, have a residence cleaned, empty a residence, put items in storage and deliver or ship items as instructed.
As an Executor there are things you need to do and there are things we can do to help you.
If you or someone you know is feeling overwhelmed at the tasks ahead of you, this is the time to call for help. Contact us today and find out what we can do to help make your life easier.
