Executors: What to Do First

If you've never been an executor before (and most of us don't do it more than once or twice in a lifetime, after all), it can be hard to know where to start. The good news is that although you'll be busy during the first weeks after the person's death, most legal and financial tasks can wait. In fact, it's usually a good idea to hold off on taking any significant actions for a while, until you have a clear financial picture. Your first task is simply to get organized and start gathering documents you'll need to wind up the estate over the next few months.