Menu
1. Preserve all assets of the Decedent until after the funeral.
2. Look for instructions that the Decedent may have left regarding preferences for funeral and burial arrangements. Determine whether the Decedent had any prepaid funeral contracts or if any special arrangements for the funeral are desired, such as military honor guard.
3. Contact a funeral home concerning burial or cremation arrangements.
4. While making the funeral arrangements, obtain certified copies of the death certificate. The number of certified copies you will need depends on the type of assets and/or number of accounts held by the decedent. Typically, ten certified copies will be sufficient, but this should be determined on a case by case basis. The cost of obtaining additional certified copies at a later time is significantly more than obtaining them initially.
5. After the funeral, conduct a complete review the Decedent’s financial documents and other important records. Particularly, look for the following:
6. After the funeral, contact an attorney to begin the administration of the decedent’s estate. You should be prepared to discuss all of the items listed above with the attorney. The attorney will help you determine what type of estate should be opened, if any. Beginning the estate administration properly can save a tremendous amount of time and money, as once an estate is opened, it cannot be converted to a different type of estate, but must be administered completely.
© 2021 Manchester & Associates
View Our Disclaimer
Law Firm Website Design by The Modern Firm