A step-by-step companion for estate executors
You’ve been named executor. Here’s what to do first, and what can wait.
A calm, plain-language roadmap through the weeks and months after a death: what to handle, in what order, with the letters and checklists to do it. No legal jargon. No guesswork at 2 a.m.
General information, not legal advice · 30-day gentle guarantee
Your timeline, at a glance
- First 48 HoursDays 1–2
- The First Two WeeksWeeks 1–2
- The First MonthWeeks 3–4
- Months 2–3The legal machinery
- Months 4–12Taxes, distributions, closing
Why this exists
Nobody hands you a manual. So we wrote one.
The calls come fast
Banks, utilities, agencies, everyone wants something different, and everyone wants it now. You’re expected to sound like you know what you’re doing before you’ve had coffee.
Google gives you 40 conflicting answers
At midnight, half-asleep, every forum thread contradicts the last. You don’t need more information. You need the right next step.
The grief doesn’t pause for paperwork
Every envelope is a reminder. This was built for the person doing hard admin on the worst days, short sentences, clear order, nothing shouting at you.
Inside the Roadmap
Everything in one place, in the order you’ll need it.
The 5-chapter guide
Plain-language chapters from the first 48 hours through closing the estate, plus a 25-question FAQ.
- The First 48 Hours
- The First Two Weeks
- The First Month
- Months 2–3: Probate & Debts
- Months 4–12: Taxes & Closing
- Digital Assets Premium
18 ready-to-send letters
Bank notifications, credit-bureau flags, utility transfers, creditor letters, click any letter, personalize the bracketed fields, copy, send.
Phase checklists that save your place
47 checkable tasks across five phases, with progress saved automatically in your browser. Pick up anytime, right where you left off.
Document organizer
Know what to gather, where it lives, and what’s still missing. Premium includes a printable binder and a spreadsheet tracker.
A peek inside the checklists
Real tasks from the roadmap, 47 in all, across five phases.
How it works
Three steps. Your pace.
Take the 2-minute starting-point quiz
Tell us where things stand, and we’ll point you to the right phase of the timeline.
Follow your timeline
Work phase by phase, in order. Check things off as you go. Your place is saved.
Copy the letters when you need them
Every template matched to its task. Personalize the bracketed fields and send.
Work at your own pace. Your progress saves in your browser. Pick up anytime.
Who this helps
Three people we built this for.
Maya, 52
The sudden loss
Maya's father died without warning on a Tuesday. By Friday she was fielding calls from his bank, his landlord, and a cousin with opinions. She needed to know what mattered today, not after reading a textbook.
What she gets: the First 48 Hours checklist and a roadmap that starts where she is.
David, 61
The long goodbye
David cared for his wife through two years of illness. He is exhausted, grieving, and now the paperwork begins. He keeps losing track of who he has notified and who is still waiting.
What he gets: checkable tasks that save his place, and letters he can copy instead of composing at midnight.
Priya, 44
The far-away child
Priya lives three states from her mother's house. She is coordinating cleaners, a realtor, and a probate attorney by phone while working full time. Every week something new surfaces.
What she gets: the full timeline with "your next 3 actions" in every chapter, so nothing slips.
Why this exists
The middle was empty. So we built for it.
Checklists are too thin. Textbooks are too dense. Lawyers bill by the hour. Here is the honest comparison.
| Feature | Etsy checklist $9 | Legal textbook $40 | The Roadmap $47 | Estate attorney $300/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step-by-step timeline | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ready-to-send letters | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ 18 | ~ |
| Plain language | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ | ~ |
| Progress tracking | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Digital assets guidance | ✕ | ✕ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Available at 2 a.m. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
When you need a lawyer, hire one. For everything else, start here.
Pricing
One payment. Yours to keep.
Core
Everything you need to get through it.
- The interactive roadmap app with saved progress
- The 5-chapter plain-language guide + 25-question FAQ
- All 18 template letters with one-click copy
- 47 checkable tasks across five phases. Your place is remembered
Premium
For estates with a digital footprint.
- Everything in Core
- The Digital Assets premium module, online accounts, crypto, and your legal rights
- Document organizer kit: printable binder + spreadsheet tracker
- Priority email support
- Free future updates
Most executors choose Premium for the digital-assets module, online accounts and crypto are where estates quietly lose value.
General information, not legal advice. Prices in USD.
Questions
Asked gently, answered honestly.
Yes. Everything is written in plain language, no legal background needed. If you can follow a recipe, you can follow this roadmap. And whenever something truly needs a lawyer, we say so plainly.
No. This handles the 80% that’s organization and correspondence, the checklists, the letters, the order of operations. Complex estates still deserve a lawyer, and the guide tells you exactly when to call one.
Start wherever you are. The 2-minute starting-point quiz drops you into the right phase of the timeline, nothing assumes it’s day one.
Completely. Everything saves in your browser only, on your own device. There’s no account, no login, and we never see your tasks.
It’s web-based, so it works on your phone, tablet, or computer, nothing to install. The 18 letter templates copy with one click and paste anywhere.
Then it’s free. Email us within 30 days for a full refund, no forms, no hard feelings. You’ve got enough on your plate.
Free checklist
Get the First 48 Hours Checklist
The nine things that actually matter in the first two days, on one printable page. We will send it to you, free, no strings.
One email with the checklist. Nothing else, ever. Unsubscribe anytime.
You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Start where you are. We’ll walk the rest with you.
30-day gentle guarantee · General information, not legal advice