What We Learned This Month- October Edition

We sell cars all the time as part of our work as executor/administrator/PR and we know what we’re doing. We have got it down to a science-just ask Cecilia on my team! And yet, a few weeks ago, I went down to the Davidson County Clerk’s office (which seems to have a more efficient waiting system now, by the way!) and got a duplicate title for a car we needed to sell. Check, check! I passed it off to my team, and it was sent on to the family member purchasing the car. But I forgot one critical step (that of course I caught the moment I saw the tracking number) – I never signed the back of the title. 

A simple step that we know we need to take, but I forgot. 

And imagine if you’ve never sold a car of a deceased family member, or dealt with an estate at all? How in the world would you know what to do and how to do it? 

What we’ve found in doing this work many years now is that there is an assumption that once you’re named as executor, trustee, or just designated person in charge, you should know what you need to do. 

But how could you? 

It’s likely the first or second time you’ve ever done the job in your life, so when would you have learned how to be an executor?

That’s why we really believe in education and sharing what we know with our clients and the broader community of lost and confused executors and even soon-to-be executors.  

Read more below about our course and how we hope to make the job of executor a little bit easier, one task at a time. 

We can’t promise you won’t forget to sign a title (clearly, neither can I!), but we can give you a process to follow so you aren’t starting from scratch.

Our online course walks you through the practical and logistical tasks involved in being an executor—the calls, the paperwork, the accounts, and all the follow-up. 

Questions we cover in the course:

• Who do I call first? What to have ready when you contact Social Security, life insurance companies, and other professionals—and sample scripts so you know what to ask.
• What if I don’t know what accounts they had? Where to look for clues in mail, tax returns, bank statements, and other records.
• Can I cancel their phone and email now? Why you may need to keep them active while you gather information.
• What needs to be canceled, and what needs to stay? How to work through utilities, insurance, subscriptions, and services someone in the household still uses.
• How do I keep track of all of this? Worksheets to organize accounts, prioritize tasks, and remember who you called and what they told you.
• What might I be overlooking? Things like safe deposit boxes, forgotten retirement accounts, unclaimed property, and travel points.

It’s the kind of information you might not know you need until you’re on hold with a company, wondering if you’re even asking the right question.

You’ll also get the checklists, worksheets, and sample phone scripts to help you do it.

Because “call the insurance company” is a lot more useful when you know what to ask once someone answers…