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The Executor’s Roadmap From Will to Final Payment
Read guide: The Executor’s Roadmap From Will to Final PaymentThe envelope looked ordinary. Inside was a signed will naming Daniel as executor of his aunt’s estate. He had agreed to take the role years…
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Protecting Yourself While Acting as Executor
Read guide: Protecting Yourself While Acting as ExecutorThe estate looked comfortably solvent. There was money in the bank, a mortgage-free house and only a handful of ordinary bills. The executor obtained probate,…
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The Executor’s First Seven Days
Read guide: The Executor’s First Seven DaysThe first call may come before sunrise. A parent, sibling or close friend has died, and somewhere in the first few stunned conversations, someone says,…
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The Executor’s Paper Trail
Read guide: The Executor’s Paper TrailThe estate had been distributed three years earlier. The house was sold, the beneficiaries were paid and the executor believed the administration was finished. To…
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The Search for a Missing Will
Read guide: The Search for a Missing WillThe family had searched every drawer in the house. They found insurance papers, old bank statements, passports that had expired years earlier and a folder…
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Lock, List and Protect: Securing an Estate’s Property
Read guide: Lock, List and Protect: Securing an Estate’s PropertyThe front door was unlocked when the executor arrived. Inside, several relatives were sorting through drawers. One had placed a box of photographs in the…
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The Executor’s Communication Playbook
Read guide: The Executor’s Communication PlaybookThree days after the funeral, the executor’s phone began filling with messages. One beneficiary wanted to know how much the house was worth. Another asked…
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Probate Without a Lawyer: A Careful DIY Guide
Read guide: Probate Without a Lawyer: A Careful DIY GuideThe executor had read the will three times. The appointment was clear. There was one original will, one executor, no handwritten changes and no obvious…
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Affidavit Mistakes That Can Stall Probate
Read guide: Affidavit Mistakes That Can Stall ProbateThe executor believed the probate application was finished. The deceased’s original will had been located, the death certificate was available, and the affidavit had been…
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