Someone Died and You're the Executor. Here's Where to Start.
Being named executor is both an honor and, in the first days after a loss, an overwhelming responsibility. Most executors have never done this before. You're expected to locate documents, manage finances, notify institutions, and carry out someone's final wishes — often while grieving, while fielding calls from family members, and while trying to understand a process nobody taught you.
The most important thing to know first: you don't have to figure everything out today. Estate administration takes months. The first week has a much shorter list.
Note: This page provides general guidance for executors and estate administrators. Estate law varies by state. For legal questions specific to your situation, consult a qualified estate planning or probate attorney.
What an Executor Actually Does
An executor is the person legally responsible for administering a deceased person's estate. At a high level, that means locating and securing assets, paying valid debts and final expenses, notifying the institutions and people who need to know, and eventually distributing what remains according to the will. In practice, it means a significant amount of paperwork, phone calls, and information-gathering — much of which happens before any of the formal legal process begins.
The exact requirements vary by state and by the complexity of the estate. If the estate is large, includes real property, or involves significant assets, working with a probate attorney is almost always worth the cost. If it's a simpler estate, many executors navigate the process with general guidance and occasional legal consultation.
The First Week: What Actually Needs to Happen
Obtain death certificates. Request at least ten certified copies from the funeral home or county vital records office. You will need them for banks, insurance companies, investment firms, government agencies, and property transfers. Running out of death certificates creates delays — get more than you think you'll need.
Secure property. Make sure the home is locked and secure, valuables are protected, and no one removes anything from the estate before you have a clear picture of what exists. This includes digital property — don't let anyone wipe or reset devices.
Locate the will. The original will — not a photocopy — needs to be found and, in most states, filed with the probate court. Check a home safe, safe deposit box, the attorney's office, or any organized filing system the deceased maintained. If you can't find it, contact their attorney directly.
Identify professional contacts. Attorney, accountant, financial advisor, insurance agent. These people have information you need and can help you navigate what comes next. If you don't have their names, look through files, email, and any organized records for business cards or correspondence.
Notify immediate family and beneficiaries. Confirm that the people named in the will are aware they've been named. Don't discuss specific assets or amounts yet — just establish contact.
Start a running log. Every phone call, every document found, every institution notified — write it down with the date. Estate administration can take a year or more. You will not remember the details, and you may eventually need to account for your actions as executor.
The Information You'll Need to Find
The single biggest variable in how smoothly an estate administration goes is how organized the deceased person's records were. If they left a Nokbox or equivalent organized system, your job is significantly easier. If they didn't, this is the work:
Legal documents: Will, any trust documents, advance directive, funeral or burial instructions. These set the legal framework for everything that follows.
Personal identification: Social Security card or number, driver's license, passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate. You'll need these for government agencies, financial institutions, and property transfers.
Financial accounts: Every bank account, investment account, retirement account, and pension. Don't assume you know what exists — search through mail, email, tax returns, and any filing system thoroughly. Accounts that aren't found can't be included in the estate.
Insurance policies: Life insurance especially, but also homeowners, auto, and any long-term care coverage. Life insurance generally passes outside probate directly to named beneficiaries — those claims can be filed immediately with the death certificate.
Property: Home deeds, mortgage information, vehicle titles, any additional properties or storage units. Vehicle titles are among the most commonly missing documents and among the most frustrating to replace.
Digital accounts: Email accounts, online banking portals, subscription services that are still charging, social media accounts. The primary email address is often the master recovery key for everything else. If you can't access it, recovery is significantly harder.
Recurring obligations: Automatic bill payments, subscription services, any memberships or dues. These continue charging until someone cancels them. Work through the most recent bank and credit card statements to identify what's active.
Who to Notify and When
The notification list is long and the timing matters. Some institutions have deadlines; others simply need to be informed so accounts can be properly handled.
In the first weeks, prioritize: the Social Security Administration (payments may need to be returned if they arrive after the date of death), banks and financial institutions, life insurance companies, the employer if the person was still working, and any pension administrators. After that: credit card companies, utility providers, subscription services, professional memberships, and any online accounts that need to be memorialized or closed.
Keep a written record of every contact — who you spoke to, the date, what was said, and any reference numbers provided. This log becomes important if any disputes arise later.
What Not to Do
Don't distribute anything to beneficiaries before you have a complete picture of the estate's debts and obligations. Executors can be held personally liable for distributions made before valid debts are settled. Don't close bank accounts prematurely — the estate often needs an account to receive funds and pay expenses during administration. Don't throw away paperwork until the estate is fully closed — what looks irrelevant often isn't. And don't sell or transfer real property without obtaining appropriate legal guidance first.
If the Records Weren't Organized
Most executors discover that the information they need wasn't documented anywhere in particular. It existed — in email inboxes, filing cabinets, desk drawers, a laptop, and one person's memory — but nobody ever created a navigable system. When that's the case, the work of gathering information runs parallel to everything else you're doing, and it adds weeks or months to a process that's already demanding.
Many executors, having been through this, create a Nokbox for their own household as soon as the estate is closed. Not because they're morbid or expecting something imminent — because they've seen firsthand what it means to the people left behind when the information is organized, and what it costs when it isn't.
How Nokbox Helps
If you're currently serving as an executor and the person you're administering for had a Nokbox, you already know what it's worth. If they didn't, the Nokbox exists specifically so that the people you love won't face the same search you're conducting now.
Every category an executor needs — legal documents, financial accounts, insurance policies, property information, digital accounts, professional contacts, household operations — has a dedicated folder and checksheet. The back of each checksheet is written specifically for the next of kin: what to find, what to do with it, and how to account for it through the administration process.