How to be the Executor of an Estate

Manage estate

During estate planning, a person typically chooses an Executor of the Estate, which is someone to oversee their wishes and ensure they are properly executed. To find out how to choose an Executor, see this article: How to Choose the Executor of Your Estate. Here is the minimum of what you will need to do if you are the executor of an estate.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. If going through probate, you must be officially appointed by the probate judge as the executor.

2. Send court-supplied notification to all heirs that you are the executor of the estate.

3. Locate all the heirs.

   All heirs mentioned in the Last Will and Testament must be located.

4. Obtain death certificates for the deceased.

   You will need a certified copy of the death certificate for each heir, insurance companies and creditors.

5. Take inventory of the deceased assets.

   This is a very time consuming tasks. You must have a list of EVERYTHING the decease owns including jewelry, insurance policies and amounts, cars, real estate, furniture, and any other liquidate-able items.

6. Handle financial affairs.

   You must pay outstanding bills, notify creditors, insurance companies, doctors and all other persons that require notification.

7. File the decease's federal income tax.

   This one is serious because if not handled correctly, you could be legally accountable.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't hesitate to enlist legal help if needed

• The size of the estate and how well the decease planned and managed the estate will impact the amount of time you spend on this.

• You may quickly become unpopular (i.e. outcasts) with other family members.

Resources

• How to Choose the Executor of Your Estate
• FindLaw