Serving as Executor: A Practical Workbook from Death Through Distribution

Serving as an executor is a months-long project with deadlines and legal duties. Done well, it protects beneficiaries and honors the deceased. Done poorly, it generates lawsuits and lingering family conflict. This hands-on course gives you the workbook approach experienced attorneys recommend. By the end of this course you will have a sequenced task list for the first 30, 60, and 90 days, an asset and debt inventory template, a creditor and notification log, a tax filing checklist, and a final accounting template for the court and beneficiaries. What you will learn: - The first tasks after death including securing property, locating documents, and ordering certified copies - How to open probate in the appropriate court and obtain authority to act - How to inventory assets including real estate, accounts, vehicles, personal property, and business interests - How to identify and notify creditors and handle valid and disputed claims - How to manage estate finances through a dedicated estate account - How to handle final personal and fiduciary tax returns - How to prepare a final accounting and distribute assets to beneficiaries The course is structured as a workbook. Each module covers one phase, provides templates, shows a filled example, and walks you through your own version. This course is written for newly named executors, for those who expect to serve soon, and for adult children helping a surviving parent serve. By the end you will move from feeling overwhelmed to running a sequenced, documented process, and the estate will close with a clean record rather than open questions.