Estate Settlement

Everything you need to know about managing, administering and settling estates
senior aged female widow sits painting in empty living room

3 Valuable Tips for Settling a Family Member’s Estate

As a professional that has spent my 30-year career servicing the fiduciary industry, here are 3 tips (lessons learned) that a future executors can take action on ahead of time to result in a swifter and smoother probate process.

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Empty green room with green chair and funeral flowers

What to Do When an Estate Is Insolvent (Not Enough Money)

An estate not being able to pay all of its debts, taxes, or inheritance to beneficiaries means it is insolvent. And when this happens, there’s an order to things.

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Middle aged female executor review duties checklist while drinking coffee

20 Key Duties of an Executor (Checklist)

While there are hundreds of individual steps an executor has to take during probate and estate settlement, they can be boiled down to 20 key duties.

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Image of safe deposit boxes at bank with last will & testament inside

What If the Will is in a Safe Deposit Box?

You've looked everywhere and think the will may be in the safe deposit box. What in the world do you do now?

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Colorful collection of abstract shapes that represent the different parties who need a death certificate

Who Needs Death Certificates When Someone Dies? Exact Number to Get

One of the first things that happens after someone passes is the signing and delivery of a death certificate. But who needs them and how many should you get? Here's the answer.

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A basket of flowers hanging with a nature backdrop representing wills and life after death with the Atticus logo in the bottom right corner

Types of Gifts in a Will: Examples and Advice

There are four main types of gifts in a will: specific gifts, general gifts, demonstrative gifts, and residuary gifts. Here's what you should know about each.

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