In Mississippi, being asked to serve as a loved one’s estate administrator is an honor. It means your loved one considers you to be one of the most trustworthy people they know. They think you are caring and careful enough to wind up their Earthy affairs and carry out their last requests.
Depending on the type of person your loved one is, this may be a difficult task. Before you agree to serve, there are a few things you should think about.
3 Things To Consider Before Becoming An Estate Administrator
Below are three things the Palmer & Slay team thinks you should know about the role of estate administrator (sometimes referred to as an executor) before you agree to serve as one for a loved one in the Brandon, Mississippi area.
1. It’s A Lot Of Paperwork
Once your loved one has passed, it will be your responsibility to take care of anything they have left undone. You will need to shut down all of their various accounts, take an inventory of their assets, distribute money and items to the appropriate people, and jump through a few hoops the government has put in place to make sure people aren’t faking their deaths or getting taken advantage of by unscrupulous administrators.
This is mostly a bunch of paperwork, although you may also be the one who cleans out your loved one’s home and discards or distributes all of his or her personal items.
2. Don’t Underestimate The Emotional Burden Of The Task At Hand
A lot of estate administrators worry about messing up the paperwork, or not getting a family heirloom into the right hands. They underestimate the emotional burden of serving the role.
While you and your loved one obviously have a close relationship if he or she is asking you to serve as an estate administrator, you will end up knowing all of the intimate details of your loved one’s life. And you are going to learn them while you are trying to grieve. It can be emotionally overwhelming to learn hard truths about your loved one and not be able to talk to them about what you have discovered.
3. It’s Okay To Ask For Help
If you want to say yes to serving as an estate administrator, but are worried you won’t be up to the task, you are not alone. Many people say no when asked to serve because they know they are not the right ones for the job.
Before you turn down the role, know that you do not have to go it alone even if you say yes. The estate administration lawyers at Palmer & Slay, PLLC, can help you carry out your legal duties under Mississippi law. We can help you step into your role, manage the mountain of paperwork, deal with any legal challenges from unhappy heirs, complete any unusual last requests, and close out the estate as efficiently as possible.
A Mississippi Estate Planning Firm You Can Trust
If you have been asked to serve as an estate administrator for a loved one, or have been notified that a departed friend or family member selected you without giving you a head’s up, Palmer & Slay, PLLC can help you figure out what your next steps should be. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.