New York Questionnaire for the Administration of an Estate

Once a fam­ily mem­ber or friend dies, the admin­is­tra­tion process of the estate begins.  Here are some basic ques­tions that should be answered before going to your attorney\‘s office:

1. Pro­vide the date of the will and check to see if there are any cod­i­cils to the will.
2. What state was the will drafted?
3. The names and addresses of execu­tors and trustees.
4. Basic infor­ma­tion regard­ing the birth and death of the per­son who died.  The per­son who died is called the decedent.
5. Pro­vide birth and death certificates.
6. Review bur­ial and funeral instructions.
7. Where did the dece­dent live?  For how long?
8. Pro­vide a fam­ily tree of all fam­ily members.
9. Pro­vide all addresses, tele­phone num­bers, social secu­rity num­bers, e-mail address for any­one who could pos­si­bly have an inter­est in the estate.
10. Infor­ma­tion regard­ing the mar­riage, includ­ing date and place. If the deceased per­son was divorced, divorce papers and ex-spouse information.
11. Any known prob­lems with the will?
12. Fig­ure out if the fam­ily has any imme­di­ate needs.
13. Any employ­ees? Find out their names and addresses.
14. Does the deceased per­son have any trusts?
15. The execu­tors should make a list of all assets of the deceased per­son. The key here is to think expan­sively to include as much doc­u­men­ta­tion as pos­si­ble.  Some impor­tant assets include bank accounts, stocks, life insur­ance, social secu­rity, safe-deposit boxes, per­sonal prop­erty, real estate.
16. The execu­tors should also make a list of all lia­bil­i­ties.  This includes credit card debit, mort­gages, loans and bills.

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