California residents who’ve recently lost a loved one usually have to deal with grief. Another area of stress after the death of a friend or family member is managing the estate, particularly if you have been named executor.
The executor is the person named in an estate plan to handle the transition, funeral arrangements and carry out the instructions they left behind. This role comes with a huge amount of responsibility and stress, but even more so if the executor is the individual’s child or close relative.
How to handle the stress
If the deceased had a lot of loved ones or friends, they all might be reaching out to you in order to get information. A large family also means many questions about what assets go to which person, which are all questions only the executor can answer.
There are several things that you can do in order to handle all of the stress. These things include:
– Staying organized
– Asking for help from other family members
– Communicating with beneficiaries as needed
– Working with your lawyers
Take your time
The most important thing is to take the time you need to grieve. Bottling your emotions up in order to handle all of the tasks that come with being executor is a quick way to make huge mistakes or decisions you regret.
For the most part, the only things that need to be handled right away are the funeral arrangements. Other than that, there’s not a lot of pressure to hurry and sort out your loved one’s estate plan – though you might be incentivized to handle it as soon as possible.
Regardless of external pressures, it’s important to take your time and lean on your support system for help when needed. Doing this will ensure everything is handled correctly and you don’t have any regrets.