Last Writes: A Blog About Death and Grief

Executor compensation, fiduciary duty, and co executor communication: how state fee rules work, what liability looks like, and how to avoid common mistakes.

Executor compensation fee schedules by state vary. This 2026 guide covers statutory percentages, court approval, and how to claim what you are owed.

Learn how to communicate estate updates to beneficiaries with copy and paste email templates, a realistic update cadence, and software walkthroughs.

Compare social media memorialization vs. account deletion on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn. Platform submission instructions for executors and families.

Filing the final Form 1040, getting an estate EIN, and setting up the estate bank account — the full financial workflow for executors.

Step by step instructions for closing bank accounts, subscriptions, and social media after someone dies. Protect the estate from fraud and unnecessary charges.

Funeral costs in 2026, compared. A working guide for families and executors to funeral price transparency, FTC Funeral Rule rights, AI planning tools, and the logistics of settling an estate without overpaying.

Executor keepsake decisions: how to handle memorials, heirlooms, ashes, and digital legacy as part of estate settlement, not as grief or tribute shopping.

Someone just died and you are asking what to do when someone dies. Here is your first 48 hours: the immediate tasks that matter, in plain steps.

What's actually happening in deathcare right now—the financial toll, estate admin burden, AI griefbots, and what Americans want vs. what they're getting.

Body transport across state lines is expensive and confusing. Here's how it works, what it costs, and the one call that can save your family thousands.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Being named executor can feel like a big job — and it is. This guide breaks down what executors actually do, how probate works, what expenses they handle, and how to manage the role without...

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...

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.