Settled

Settle what remains and carry forward what matters

This part takes months, and it often lands on one person. Here is the work in the order most families meet it, and help for the grief that runs alongside.

Where to start

What happens, and when

Times are typical, not rules. Skip anything that doesn’t apply to you.

  1. Month 1

    Step 1: Find out what you’re dealing with

    Does the estate need probate, and do you need a lawyer?

    • Coming soon

      Does this estate need probate?

      How to tell, what skips it, and the questions to take to a lawyer.

      Includes a checklist: Assets that may skip probate

    • Coming soon

      Hiring a probate attorney

      How they charge, what is fair, and what to ask first.

      Includes a checklist: Questions to ask a probate attorney

  2. Months 1 to 2

    Step 2: Take on the executor job

    What the job is, step by step.

    • Coming soon

      Being an executor, step by step

      The job, in order, from the first month to closing the estate.

      Includes a checklist: Executor’s first month

  3. Months 1 to 3

    Step 3: Accounts and benefits

    Close, transfer and claim. Then the final taxes.

    • Coming soon

      Closing accounts and claiming benefits

      Confirm who has authority first, then work down the list.

      Includes a checklist: Closing accounts

    • Coming soon

      Final taxes and the estate’s taxes

      The returns that may be due, and the papers to find.

      Includes a checklist: Tax documents to find

  4. Months 2 to 6

    Step 4: The house and belongings

    Keep, sell, give away. Try to do it without a family fight.

    • Coming soon

      Clearing a parent’s home

      What to keep, sell, give and toss, and when to call in help.

      Includes a template: Estate inventory

    • Coming soon

      Estate sale, liquidator or donation?

      How each one works and what each one really costs.

      Includes a checklist: Questions for an estate sale company

    • Coming soon

      When siblings disagree about belongings

      Fair ways to divide things, before it turns into a fight.

      Includes a script: Dividing belongings fairly

  5. The first year

    Step 5: Thank-yous and loose ends

    Notes to write, dates to remember, bills that keep coming.

    • Coming soon

      Thank-you notes, without the dread

      Short notes that are enough, and a way to keep track.

      Includes a template: Thank-you note starters

    • Coming soon

      The first year: dates and tasks to expect

      Renewals, anniversaries and deadlines, on one calendar.

      Includes a checklist: First-year calendar

  6. Alongside it all

    Step 6: Grief

    It doesn’t wait for the paperwork. Help for when you need it.

    • Coming soon

      Kinds of grief support, and how to find one that fits

      Counselors, groups and other help, and how they differ.

    • Coming soon

      Grieving while you’re still doing the paperwork

      Why it can feel stuck, and small ways to make room for it.

  7. When you’re ready

    Step 7: Remember them

    A marker, a memorial, their stories.

    • Coming soon

      Ways to remember someone

      From a bench to a recipe book. Ideas at every budget.

      Includes a product list: Memorial keepsakes

    • Coming soon

      Choosing a headstone or marker

      Cemetery rules, materials, prices, and what to check first.

      Includes a checklist: Before you order a marker

    • Coming soon

      Turning their stories into something lasting

      Collect stories from relatives before they fade.

      Includes a script: Interviewing relatives

Who can help

The people families usually call in these weeks. Each page explains the service before listing anyone.

See every kind of help