Being in charge of settling a parent’s final affairs

On Behalf of | Oct 9, 2019 | Blog

Most people would love for their parents to live forever. The loss of a parent can be immensely difficult on any Nevada resident, and often, it is a surviving adult child who bears the responsibility of completing the probate process and ensuring that the parent’s final affairs are managed appropriately.

If this task falls to you, you certainly want to feel assured that you will make the right decisions and carry out the right actions for your parent’s estate. It can be even more difficult to know whether you are doing the right thing when you feel overwhelmed by grief, but delaying probate is typically not wise.

What should you do?

Before you start making any choices on behalf of the estate, you may want to make sure that you are the person in charge. If your parent created a will as part of his or her estate plan, it is likely that the document names the person who should act as the executor. If you are that person, you can take the necessary steps to begin probate. However, if your parent did not appoint an executor, the court will need to appoint one.

If your parent or the court appointed you to the role of executor, you will have many obligations to attend to during probate and even before. For instance, you will need to lay your parent to rest before probate begins, so focusing on funeral arrangements is wise. Though the estate typically covers funeral expenses, you may not be able to access those funds until months after the funeral. Therefore, you may want to keep up with who pays the funeral costs and should receive reimbursement later.

Gather information

If your parent did create an estate plan, you will need to gather those documents as soon as possible. You will also need to obtain copies of the death certificate and certain financial documents, such as bank account information, tax returns and others. You will likely also need to access any accounts that your parent had online.

The idea of having to do so much to settle your parent’s final affairs can certainly feel overwhelming. Fortunately, you do not have to try to do everything on your own. You can reach out for assistance and support from an experienced probate attorney who can provide you with information and tips on how to successfully complete the probate process.