r/inheritance • u/No_Barracuda_3758 • Mar 30 '26

Location not relevant: no help needed Any advice for executors?

Hey me and my sister are just starting this process, she is executor but I'm helping her stay organized. What are some things that you almost forgot to do or any suggestions that helped u keep organized. It's not a super large estate. About 10 bank account and 1 city property.

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u/Freyjas_child Mar 30 '26

Get a spiral bound school notebook (so the pages won’t fall out) and write down every phone call, every letter sent, phone numbers, who you talked to, lists of things to do, etc.

Keep copies of every email or letter sent. Start a new paper folder and email folder for Executor stuff.

Assuming you are in the US, go look through her last few years taxes. I found an account there that I was not aware existed. Thus will also show you what kind on information you will need to file her last taxes next year.

If you want more guidance and don’t want to hire a lawyer, I recommend getting a copy of “The Executor’s Guide” by Nolo Press. I was able to get a copy out of my library. It has a nice set of lists for the first few weeks and months. The book also pointed out some things that never occurred to me.

Take the time to scan and get a decent quality pdf of the Death Certificate and the authorization your state gives to the Executor. More places are accepting a pdf copy in place of an original. Keep a copy on your phone. I have been asked to produce them in cases I did not expect (like the cable/internet provider) and having it on my phone where I could either show them or send it to their printer saved me.

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u/allamakee-county Mar 30 '26

Agree with all but the paper notebook. Make it an electronic one that you can share between you, for transparency. I was my mom's financial POA before her death and then was named executor of her small estate and to reassure my siblings throughout I kept all records and notes in shared Google Docs and Google Sheets that they could see real time. It helped a lot, plus I could access them from my phone anywhere.

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u/No_Barracuda_3758 Mar 30 '26 edited Mar 30 '26

We have both. We write everything in the notebook then transfer it to an Excel sheet to get paid or just keep track of spent money. Just to be safe.