The notebook
One question at a time.
Short, plain entries on the questions executors actually ask: death certificates, bank calls, what can be paid when. Each one is free and whole, like everything in the library, and a new entry arrives about once a month.
How many death certificates do you actually need?
Order 8 to 12 certified copies to start. Who will ask for one, what they cost, whether you get them back, and how to order more if you run out.
Read the entry
What an executor can and can’t pay for before probate opens
In most states the funeral and protecting the home are safe to pay before probate; other bills can wait for the estate. What to pay now, and how to be paid back.
Read the entry
The first call to a bank after a death
Banks can wait until week two or three. What the first call sets in motion, what to gather before you dial, and the questions worth asking before you hang up.
Read the entry
The notebook grows slowly on purpose, about one entry a month, and each entry is kept up to date after it’s written. If you’d like new entries as they arrive, there’s an RSS feed, and the signup at the end of the first-days guide brings a rare note when something new is published. Neither is required; the entries will be here either way.
Whenever you’re ready.
Begin with a few gentle questions, at your own pace. Free to start, and no card to enter.
Begin for freeYou don’t have to do this alone.