7 essential things an estate executor must do

7 Essential Things an Estate Executor Must Do

Probate and Deceased Estates
7 Essential Things an Estate Executor Must Do

An Executor is the person appointed in the Will of a deceased person with the lawful authority to administer the deceased estate.

An Executor has a special responsibility – known as fiduciary duty – to hold the estate in trust for the beneficiaries, and to act in the best interests of the estate.

Here are 7 things every Executor should do:

1.Consult a Senior Lawyer who Specialises in Deceased Estates

Unless the Will contains a specific direction, it’s up to the Executor to decide which lawyer to retain, but here’s a tip to keep in mind: A specialist lawyer will be faster and better for the estate and provide better protection for the Executor. Executors are performing a legal function, and there are hidden risks which can come back to bite the unwary Executor.

weird probate Issues

Weird Probate Issues Part 8

Probate, Probate and Deceased Estates, Weird Probate Issues, Wills and Estate Planning
weird probate Issues

Here we go again, with more Wacky Wills, Poisonous Probates and Dreadful Deaths. If you’re twisted like us, you might get a smile out of some of the strange stuff people do at the end of their lives …

#1 Wellington Burt

US lumber tycoon Wellington Burt died in 1919. His Will directed that most of his fortune be put into a trust fund, which would only pay out 21 years after his last surviving grandchild passed away.

His immediate heirs, who had expected to receive his fortune, saw very little of it. When the trust vested in 2010, a fortune of around $110m (£67.5m) was shared amongst 12 beneficiaries, none of whom ever knew the man.

weird probate Issues

Weird Probate Issues Part 7

Probate, Probate and Deceased Estates, Weird Probate Issues, Wills and Estate Planning
weird probate Issues

Here’s another in our series of articles about Weird Wills, Problematic Probates and Disturbing Deaths. If you’re twisted like us, you might get a chuckle out of some of the strange stuff people do at the end of their time on this mortal coil …

1. I say Hello and you say Goodbye
Anthony Scott, in his last will and testament wrote: ‘To my first wife Sue, whom I always promised to mention in my will. Hello Sue!’

2. Proper Conditions
The last will and testament of Edith S of Walsall included £50,000 to each of her children, Roger, Helen and Patricia. Their inheritance was not to be spent on ‘slow horses and fast women and only a very small amount on booze’.

weird probate Issues

Weird Probate Issues Part 6

Probate, Probate and Deceased Estates, Weird Probate Issues, Wills and Estate Planning
weird probate Issues

Even though death is a serious subject, our most popular series continues for your morbid enjoyment. This time we’ve collected some macabre stories of people finding ways to die that might provoke a chuckle.

#1 Too much sex and Viagra, makes Jack a dead boy
Sergey Tuganov made a bet with two female acquaintances in 2009 that he could continue to satisfy them sexually for 12 hours straight. They took the bet, and a wild night began. In order to be sure he would win, Sergey downed a whole bottle of Viagra pills before he set to work.

Weird Probate Issues Part 4

Probate and Deceased Estates, Weird Probate Issues, Wills and Estate Planning
weird probate Issues

The Bottom Line – Some people are determined to have their final say in their strange Last Wills and Testaments. Have a smile at their attempts to ‘rule from beyond the grave’.

… because our last posts Weird Probate Issues and More Weird Probate issues were so popular, we have decided to create an entire series …

1. Ingrid Newkirk
Ingrid Newkirk is the founder of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the organization that tries to keep humans from eating, wearing or being mean to animals. When Newkirk passes on, she instructs that her corpse be given over to PETA, and then things get weird.

Weird Probate Issues Part 3

Probate and Deceased Estates, Weird Probate Issues, Wills and Estate Planning
weird probate Issues

Famous Last Words – Some people try to tell you that “you can’t take it with you,” but that doesn’t mean you have to go quietly into the night. A vital part of pre-death planning is composing a Last Will and Testament that clearly lays out who gets your stuff and your money. But some people also use them as a final “screw you” to the world. These people were determined to have their final say, with their strange Last Wills and Testaments.

… because our last posts Weird Probate Issues and More Weird Probate issues were so popular, we have decided to create an entire series …

Genders and Partners Dementia will soon become Australia's Leading Cause of Death

WARNING: Dementia will soon become Australia’s Leading Cause of Death

Trusts & Guardianship, Wills and Estate Planning
Genders and Partners Dementia will soon become Australia's Leading Cause of Death

Dementia deaths in Australia have steadily increased over recent years. In 2013, dementia became Australia’s second leading cause of death, overtaking cerebrovascular diseases (strokes) for the first time.

In 2014 and 2015 the number of dementia deaths have continued to rise.

Ischaemic heart disease has been the leading cause of death in Australia since early in the 20th century, but while the rate of death from heart disease was at its worst around 1970, it has steadily declined since then.

Dementia is not one specific disease. There are many types, including Alzheimer’s and Vascular Dementia, which are each collections of symptoms caused by disorders affecting the brain, with severe effects on thinking, behaviour and quality of life. These diseases add greatly to the burden of illness and injury in the Australian community.

More Weird Probate Issues

Probate and Deceased Estates, Wills and Estate Planning
weird probate Issues

Making a Will is a serious business, right? It details how you wish your estate to be distributed, who benefits and by how much.

… because our last post Weird Probate Issues was so popular, here we go again …

But we can still chuckle at the efforts of other people when they outrageously stuff-up their own estate plans. (We’ll suppress our schadenfreude with the thought that this is all educational. ‘Schadenfreude’ is the German term for the guilty pleasure derived from another person’s misfortune.)

The Different Types of Probate in South Australia

The Different Types of Probate in South Australia

Do It Yourself Wills, Probate, Probate & Estate Administration
The Different Types of Probate in South Australia

Many people find probate to be a confusing and intimidating topic. Some deceased estates may not require probate, while others may require a different sort of grant if an executor is not named or a Will cannot be located.

Some brave (or foolhardy) souls attempt a do-it-yourself approach by trying to administer the deceased estate of a loved one themselves. This rarely ends well. You’ll save a lot of time and energy if you seek the counsel of a lawyer with extensive knowledge of probate & deceased estates in Adelaide.