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executing-a-will-in-missouri.md

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Executing a Will in St. Charles County, Missouri

Note: I'm not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. It's just an outline of the steps I took when appointed the executor of a will in 2017.

  • Find a lawyer who deals with estate/probate administration (you need one in Missouri if the estate is greater than 40k).
  • Get several copies of the Death Certificate (order via funeral home / mortuary).
  • Round up important documents (will, deeds, titles, financial statements, etc).
  • Meet with lawyer, give him/her copy of will and death certificate, plus dates of birth and SSN for each beneficiary from will (and your own SSN). File application to "probate the will" and ask that you're appointed as the executor.
  • They'll give you sealed papers and give you 30 days to file a statement of accounts.
  • Get an EIN for the estate.
  • Take the sealed papers, EIN, and death certificate to banks, etc.
  • Transfer everything into a new (checking) account for the estate, which you can use to pay bills, etc.
  • Check mail for a month or two, let bills trickle in. Pay them, and keep careful track of what comes in and goes out. Check deeds/titles to look for other names. Deeds and banking/investment accounts may have multiple names, vehicles may have TODs, and all retirement accounts will have a beneficiary. Any of these would supersede the will and not be part of the estate. Notify any named parties and pass along a death certificate.
  • Once everything has been rounded up, the lawyer will file an "Inventory" with the court (this will need to be notarized), publish a note in a legal paper, then wait 6 months (from the date the letters testamentary were issued).
  • Surprisingly bills and checks will probably continue to trickle in during this time, deal with those.
  • The lawyer will file a "Statement of Account" with the court (and send a copy to the beneficiaries), detailing the contents of estate, income/expenses, and distribution plan. Afterward, wait another six weeks.
  • Divvy everything up. Write checks, and brace for drama.
  • You're not done! Pay taxes the following April.
  • Finally, close the estate account at the bank.