How to be the Executor of an Estate

Member

By Sarah Wilson CCRP
User-Submitted Article

Article Rating:

(6 Ratings)

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

Step 1

If going through probate, you must be officially appointed by the probate judge as the executor.
Step 2

Send court-supplied notification to all heirs that you are the executor of the estate.
Step 3

Locate all the heirs.

All heirs mentioned in the Last Will and Testament must be located.
Step 4

Obtain death certificates for the deceased.

You will need a certified copy of the death certificate for each heir, insurance companies and creditors.
Step 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.
Step 6

Handle financial affairs.

You must pay outstanding bills, notify creditors, insurance companies, doctors and all other persons that require notification.
Step 7

File the decease’s federal income tax.

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

Comments

efootprint said

Flag This Comment

on 2/6/2009 I would add to point 5.

The Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP,rule 34) and many States require that the computer be protected and the contents examined. Naturally this should only be done by a licensed,insured and trained Estate Computer Data Recovery Expert.

The leader in this field is Efootprint.