Your parent has died. Here's the first month, week by week
If you've been named executor, very little has to happen this week. This is what does, and what can wait.
Week one: only what can't wait
Arrange the funeral, secure the house and car, and forward the mail. Order around ten certified copies of the death certificate; banks and insurers each want their own. Don't pay your parent's bills from your own money, and don't move anything out of their accounts yet.
Week two: find five papers
- The original will, and any trust
- The deed to the house
- The last two years of bank and investment statements
- Life insurance and retirement account statements
- Last year's tax return
Week three: make a list
Write down everything your parent owned and everything they owed, with rough values. Note which accounts were joint or had a named beneficiary; those usually pass outside probate. This list is the first thing I'll ask to see.
Week four: open the estate
If probate is needed, we file the will and ask the court to appoint you. Once you have the court's letter, you can open an estate bank account, collect what's owed and start paying the bills from it.
Grief and paperwork arrive together. You're allowed to do the paperwork slowly.
Every estate is different, and some deadlines depend on your state. Call before you sell anything or pay out any inheritance.