Assisting Estate Administrators

Mary Lynne offers hands-on services to conservators, successor trustees, or executors after a death loss.

A realtor referred her client who was in the process of clearing the property (to sell) of her deceased parents. While dealing with the fiduciary responsibilities as executor of her parent’s estate, another family member died. Dealing with grief, yet faced with time constraints and geographical issues, the client relied on me to locate, examine and identify important papers such as:

• Original trust or will
• Bank accounts
• Securities & stock holdings
• Real estate holdings
• Safe deposit boxes
• Documentation of other assets

Samples of duties Mary Lynne may perform at the time of loss include:

• Communication with heirs
• Accompany client to mortuary, coroner, or attorney’s office
• Assist client in distributing unspecified tangible property to heirs
• Monitor and manage the decedent’s mail
• Coordinate bill payment and property maintenance with the trustee/executor
• Establish a filing system to maintain records for probate and estate taxes
• Work with attorney to provide needed information and meet all deadlines
• Inventory, sort and organize contents of the home for family to review
• Obtain valuation of the contents for inheritance and estate tax purposes
• Assist with the distribution of the physical assets according to the will or trust
• Facilitate donation of items to non-profits
• Work with realtor to prepare the property for sale
• Other duties as assigned

The services of a professional organizer after a death loss are estate tax deductible as an estate administration expense. Fees are paid from the estate prior to distribution to the estate beneficiaries, resulting in no out-of-pocket expense for the estate administrator.
Mary Lynne does not give legal, medical or financial advice but can direct you to professional resources that can provide this expertise.