Santa Cruz Estate Planning Attorney

Choosing an Executor for your Will

Choosing the right person as your Executor is an important aspect of Estate Planning. Your executor will be the person who takes care of all your final affairs. It is an important job with numerous responsibilities so choosing somebody trustworthy and capable is important.

The Executor's responsibilities will include making funeral arrangements, preparing final tax returns, distributing assets, cancelling credit cards, paying debts, filing your will with the court for a probate proceeding and helping resolve conflicts between loved ones.

This is not an easy job and you should ask the person you choose to make sure they are willing to accept the responsibilities. Also choosing somebody local can help lessen the burned. Your Executor will be required to attend court and participate so limiting travel would greatly benefit them.

An addition consideration when choosing an executor is the strain that will be on everybody at the time. During a loss many family members will not be in the right place to handle such responsibilities. Each person deals with sadness and stress in their unique way so this may influence who you choose as the Executor of your will.

It is hard to accept we will not always be around to make our own decisions, but it is important to make sure somebody you trust is there is make decisions for you in your absence. I urge everybody to spend the appropriate amount of time and care choosing an Executor for your estate.

by Keith Dysart, Santa Cruz Estate Planning Attorney and Mediator

Areas of Practice

Family Law

Estate Planning

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