The Roadmap

Your Roadmap

Five phases, 47 tasks, in the order you’ll need them. Check things off as you go, we’ll keep your place.

0 of 47 tasks· one step at a time.

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Four gentle questions, we’ll point you to the right phase. Nothing here is stored anywhere but your browser.

How long ago did your person pass?Within the last few daysA few weeks agoA month or more ago

Do you have certified copies of the death certificate?Not yetA few (still waiting on more)Yes, ten or more

Has probate been filed, or discussed with an attorney?Not yetTalked about itFiled (it’s in progress)

What’s weighing on you most right now?Paperwork piling upMoney and billsCoordinating familyI don’t know where to start

Days 1–2
First 48 Hours
Breathe. Only a few things truly can’t wait.
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- Make sure someone calm is with you for the next few daysGrief fries memory and judgment. A second set of hands keeps decisions steady.
- If the death happened at home, call 911 or the hospice nurseAuthorities need to attend before anything is moved or cleaned.
- Contact a funeral home, or locate pre-planned arrangementsThe funeral director becomes your first professional ally. Ask them everything.
- Notify immediate family, short and factualWhat happened, where they are, “I’ll update you as things get clearer.” Details can wait.
- Lock up the home and collect the mailPick it up yourself or ask a neighbor, mail piling up signals an empty house.
- Make sure any pets are fed and cared forThis gets forgotten in the shock. Plan for their care over the coming weeks.
- Walk through once: secure valuables, gather papers in one placeCash, jewelry, cards, keys, documents. You’re protecting, not distributing, don’t sort yet.
- Order 10–15 certified death certificates through the funeral homeBanks, insurers, and agencies each want one. Extras now are far cheaper than reordering later.
- Create the estate folder and start a simple activity logDate, action, who you spoke with. This log protects you if anyone questions your work.
- File a USPS change-of-address so their mail comes to youBills, statements, insurance notices, the mail reveals the whole financial picture.
Hold off for now. Do NOT yet: pay debts or promise creditors anything · close bank accounts · throw anything away · distribute money or possessions · sign anything from a creditor.
Weeks 1–2
The First Two Weeks
The funeral, the will, and the first wave of calls.
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- Funeral, burial, or cremation decisions madeCheck for pre-planned or prepaid arrangements first. A simple service is never disrespectful.
- Itemized price list from the funeral home, every receipt savedThe price list is your right under the FTC Funeral Rule. Receipts go in the estate folder.
- Veteran’s burial benefits checkedFlag, headstone, national cemetery, ask the funeral director or the VA.
  Template: VA benefits letter
  Needs a letter →
- Obituary placed, kept modestNo full birth date, maiden names, or home address. Scammers comb obituaries.
- Will found, read, and stored safelyKept unmarked, unstapled, unaltered. No will? That’s common, plan to talk to a probate attorney.
- Social Security notified; survivor benefits asked aboutCall 1-800-772-1213, and verify the funeral home’s report actually went through.
  Template: Social Security letter
  Needs a letter →
- Employer or HR notifiedAsk about final pay, unused PTO, group life insurance, and 401(k) or pension benefits.
  Template: Employer/HR letter
  Needs a letter →
- Banks and credit unions notified (accounts left open)Ask about joint owners, POD beneficiaries, and safe deposit boxes.
  Template: Bank notification letter
  Needs a letter →
- Life insurance companies contacted; claims startedPolicies with named beneficiaries pay out directly, usually outside probate.
  Template: Life insurance claim letter
  Needs a letter →
- Pension administrator and/or VA notifiedAsk about survivor benefits and when payments stop.
  Template: Pension administrator letter
  Needs a letter →
- Mortgage servicer or landlord notifiedA factual notice, you’re not assuming the debt, just asking about the process.
  Template: Mortgage servicer letter Template: Landlord letter
  Needs a letter →
- All three credit bureaus notified; credit report requestedFiles flagged “deceased” to block new-account fraud. The report also reveals unknown accounts.
  Template: Credit bureau letter
  Needs a letter →
Weeks 3–4
The First Month
One job this month: find out what exists.
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- Asset and debt inventory startedOne spreadsheet, two columns. Aim for completeness over precision, you’ll refine it.
- All bank and brokerage accounts listed; date-of-death balances requestedYou’ll need these values for taxes and probate.
  Template: Date-of-death valuation letter
  Needs a letter →
- Beneficiary designations checked on every accountPOD/TOD designations bypass probate entirely.
- Real estate, vehicles, and titles listed and locatedCheck deeds for joint tenancy or survivorship rights.
- All debts listed: mortgage, cards, medical, loans, taxes owedYou can’t manage what you haven’t found.
- Twice-weekly mail routine setEssential bills get paid; statements get filed; everything else waits for the formal creditor process.
- Checks payable to the decedent set aside, uncashedThey’ll go into the estate account once probate opens. Endorse nothing personally.
- Known creditors identified and told: “submit your claim in writing”Nothing paid or promised by phone.
  Template: Creditor claim notice
  Needs a letter →
- Homeowner’s insurer told the property’s occupancy statusVacant homes need the right coverage, standard policies often limit it.
  Template: Insurance notification letter
  Needs a letter →
- Rooms photographed; family asked about keepsakes firstAsk what matters to them BEFORE anything is disposed of.
Months 2–3
Months 2–3
The legal machinery starts turning. Mostly paperwork and patience.
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- Decided: full probate, simplified process, or none neededIf there’s any complexity at all, get a probate attorney consultation first.
- Probate petition filed in the decedent’s countyOriginal will, death certificate, heirs list, filing fee.
- Letters Testamentary received; certified copies kept on handThis is your official credential, banks and institutions will ask for it.
- EIN obtained; estate bank account openedThe EIN is free from the IRS. ALL estate money flows through this account, never mixed with yours.
- Formal creditor claim period openedPublished notice plus direct written notice to known creditors.Needs a letter →
- Each creditor claim validated before paymentCollectors must document what they’re owed. Bogus claims get rejected.
  Template: Debt validation letter
  Needs a letter →
- Debts paid in legal priority order, after the claim period closesSecured first, unsecured last. If debts exceed assets, talk to an attorney before paying anything.
- First brief status update sent to beneficiariesA short monthly note prevents 90% of suspicion.
Months 4–12
Months 4–12
Taxes, distributions, and closing it out cleanly, in that order.
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- Final personal tax return prepared; estate returns evaluatedForm 1040 for the year of death, plus Form 1041 and state returns if needed.
- CPA engaged for anything tax-complicatedInvestments, rentals, a business, their fee comes from the estate.
- Property sold with court authority; vehicles transferredKeep insurance, taxes, and utilities current until the sale closes.Needs a letter →
- NOTHING distributed until debts, claims, and taxes are settledDistributing early is the classic executor mistake.
- Assets distributed per the will, signed receipts for everythingSpecific bequests first, then the residue. Receipts are your protection.
- Final accounting prepared and shared with all beneficiariesMoney in, money out, who got what.
- Court petition filed to close the estate; executor dischargedKeep all records 3–7 years; the final accounting, tax returns, and discharge papers permanently.

You did it.

Every box that mattered is checked. Be proud, and be gentle with yourself.

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