Dealing with death is not something that many people want to experience. When a loved one passes away, it brings with it a host of emotions: grief, loss, and abandonment. In addition to this emotional luggage which weighs heavy, there are a host of tasks that need to be taken care of when a loved one passes away. Preparing for life after death can be just as time-consuming and complicated as the act of living, and in many cases, it can be costly.
Imagine having to deal with the final affairs of someone you love, while also dealing with the emotional ramifications of their passing. This is what an executor is tasked to do. This person is someone who takes on the responsibility of executing or following the final wishes of a recently deceased person. The executor can be a son, a daughter, a spouse, a friend, or anyone else who will be able to fulfill the duties needed after a person passes away. What we will discuss is what it means to be named an executor of an estate by focusing on the duties which an executor handles.
Cremation or Traditional Burial
When a person dies, their body has to either undergo a traditional burial or a cremation process. People prefer for their remains to undergo a specific final rite, based on a variety of reasons. This can include religious preferences, economics, or even just a preference of how they want their corpse to be handled once they pass away. An executor will take the final wishes of the deceased and determine the best course of action to take to deal with the remains of the deceased.
In many major US cities, an executor will find many mortuaries, which will make the process of a traditional burial or a cremation service a bit easier. As mentioned before, to have to deal with the emotional weight of the recent death of a loved one is difficult in many respects. Finding a crematorium, say in western Pennsylvania, who can answer questions about what to do with cremated remains, the cremation process, the actual cremation service, the types of cremation urns that are available, and cremation costs can be extremely helpful. This can help alleviate the burden of those loved ones who are suffering.
For traditional burial questions which an executor might have, mortuary team members can also help with answering questions about the funeral service, how much will a rental casket cost, and what types of what a traditional burial will actually look like. Deciding the fate of what will be done with a human body is what an executor of a deceased individual’s estate will be tasked with doing.
Paying off Debts and Closing Accounts
A dead person can’t pay bills anymore. It’s scientifically impossible. When a person passes away, any new accounts or old accounts which might have been opened have to be closed by an executor. These might include natural gas utilities, electric bills, or even cellphone service. Another task which an executor will have to tackle will be paying off debts for the recently deceased. Maybe the recently passed member of your family still had a month of rent to pay off at an apartment community with Venterra Realty. There might even be credit card debt that needs to be paid off.
Whatever the circumstances, that debt has to be handled in some way by the executor of the estate. This has to be taken care of before any family member, friend, or any person can receive an inheritance from the recently deceased. Creditors and debtors will demand that any remaining money from the estate be used to pay off any debts that are still outstanding. As an executor, do your due diligence to see if say there’s anything left to pay off to a Venterra Realty apartment community to ensure that the final wishes of the deceased can be handled in the best way possible.
Property Distribution
If a recently deceased family member or friend that you’ve been assigned as the executor of their estate had property, you’ll handle the distribution of said property. The property which is focused on in a will should be given as recorded. So if a particular family member has been bequeathed an investment property from the deceased, that will stand as is. As an executor, it would help to work with a property management company, or real estate services in Pittsburg, PA, or any other major US city to ensure there is a smooth transition in ownership of the property.
Let’s say, though, that there is an investment property or personal property which isn’t named in the will. In that case, as happens in many cities in the United States, the property would pass along according to the laws of that state. In cases like these, it helps to contact a real estate agent, or other real estate services, to determine what course of action should be taken.
