One useful thing a week

Practical guidance on the paperwork, decisions, and tasks that follow a death.

1. 

   8/19/26 Executors

   Understanding Probate Documents: How to Read Estate Letters

   Legal notices and probate letters arrive full of confusing jargon. Here is how understanding probate documents helps you avoid expensive emails to your lawyer.

2. 

   5/25/26 Animals / Pets

   What Happens to Your Pet When You Die? A Practical Guide to Rehoming After Loss

   When someone dies, no one tells you what happens to the pets. This guide covers the first 48 hours, the legal side, how to find the right home, and what to do when no one can take the animal.

3. 

   5/25/26 Body donation

   My Mom Wants to Donate Her Body to Science. Here’s What We Didn’t Know.

   Six myths about body donation, debunked by a program coordinator and licensed funeral director who has seen this work from every angle.

4. 

   5/8/26 Executors

   Executors Guide: When to Hire Help (And What Kind)

   Settling an estate takes 570 hours. Most executors try to do it alone until something goes wrong. Here is how to know when to call help in.

5. 

   5/6/26 Executors

   You're the executor. You live 800 miles away.

   Nobody warned you that settling an estate is also a travel job. Here's how to do it without losing your mind or your savings.

6. 

   5/6/26 Executors

   You Inherit the Liability Before You Inherit the Power

   When someone dies, you become legally responsible for their assets before you have the authority to act on them.

7. 

   4/7/26 Executors

   Do Executors Get Paid? Yes. Here's How Much, by State.

   Executors are legally entitled to compensation in nearly every state. Here's what you can claim, how fees are calculated, and what most people don't know about getting paid for the hardest job you...

8. 

   4/7/26 Executors

   Cleaning Out a Parent's House After They Die

   Every drawer is a decision. Every closet is a memory. A practical guide to sorting, selling, donating, and surviving the emotional weight of emptying a parent's home.