Articles and guides
Explore this topic
Practical information to help you understand your options and plan your next steps.
-
The High-Value Estate Control Plan
Read guide: The High-Value Estate Control PlanThe executor expected the estate to be large. What they did not expect was how many different legal structures were hidden inside it. The deceased…
-
What Executors Can Charge to the Estate
Read guide: What Executors Can Charge to the EstateThe executor had spent more than expected before probate was even granted. There were court documents, replacement locks, insurance premiums, postage, property inspections and several…
-
When the Executor Will Not Take Charge
Read guide: When the Executor Will Not Take ChargeThe will named one executor. Everyone knew who she was, where she lived and how to contact her. She had the original will, understood that…
-
When You Can Settle an Estate Without Probate
Read guide: When You Can Settle an Estate Without ProbateThe family expected months of court paperwork. The deceased had left a valid will naming one adult child as executor. There was no house, no…
-
Probate or Letters of Administration?
Read guide: Probate or Letters of Administration?The family knew there was money in the estate. What they did not know was who had authority to touch it. The deceased had signed…
-
When the Family Trust Owns the Assets
Read guide: When the Family Trust Owns the AssetsThe executor thought the estate contained a house, a rental property and several investment accounts. The deceased had managed all of them, paid the bills…
-
Opening an Estate Bank Account: A Guide for NZ Executors
Read guide: Opening an Estate Bank Account: A Guide for NZ ExecutorsThe executor had finally received probate. For weeks, estate money had been scattered across restricted bank accounts, an investment provider, a property manager and several…
-
Balancing the Estate Books
Read guide: Balancing the Estate BooksThe executor thought the estate accounts would be simple. There had been a house, two bank accounts and three beneficiaries. The house sold for more…
-
Keeping Difficult Beneficiaries From Derailing an Estate
Read guide: Keeping Difficult Beneficiaries From Derailing an EstateThe executor’s phone rang at 7.12 on a Sunday morning. A beneficiary wanted to know why the house had not sold. By lunchtime, another had…
100% free to create
Turn your decisions into a will
Create your will online with no platform fee, subscription or payment required.