You've been named executor
The executor role starts the moment someone dies — before probate and before you've had a chance to plan. These are the documents and records for the first month, in order.
A complete specimen reconciliation — one fictional estate, every beneficiary's entitlement confirmed and signed off, so you can see what a closed estate looks like on paper.
A complete specimen certificate — one fictional estate, every asset cross-checked against the will, every distribution gate recorded. This is what the reconciliation looks like when it's done.
Letter templates for cancelling subscriptions, memberships, and standing instructions from an estate — so executors stop paying for what's ended.
The Executor's First Hour builds the full estate brief — asset inventory, beneficiary reconciliation, letters-to-institutions templates, and the records a grant of probate application needs. For the executor who has to act now.
See what the Executor's First Hour includesA structured summary of the estate's assets at the point of administration — balances, ownership structure, and whether each asset forms part of the estate.
Estate debts — the statutory priority order under the Insolvency Act 1986, executor personal liability, and the Section 27 Gazette notice.
Seven formal letter types for estate administration — beneficiary notifications, solicitor instruction, IHT cover, and distribution letters — drafted to the estate.
Document-finder checklists for each asset category — so the executor knows exactly what to look for and where to look for it.