The Executor’s Playbook · 2026 National Edition

You just lost someone. Now you’re expected to run a small administrative project.

The playbook does the sequencing so you don’t have to hold it in your head: what to do, in what order, for the first 90 days after a death — the bank accounts, the funeral bill, the mail pile, probate or not. Written in plain English, with every blank explained. Start with the next page, not the whole binder.

Fillable PDF (AcroForm)
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US Letter + A4
Works with free Adobe Acrobat Reader
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Get the Executor’s Playbook — $49 See what’s inside

Try it for 30 days. If it doesn’t make the work lighter, we’ll refund you — no questions, no forms.

The part nobody warns you about

Settling everything after a death costs the average family nearly $13,000 and takes 13 months — 20 if the estate goes through full probate. It’s “months upon months of phone calls, returning calls, getting to the right department, and signing papers, all while contending with intense emotions,” as grief expert David Kessler puts it in Empathy’s survey of over 2,000 recently bereaved families. More than half of people in this position say the load harmed their performance at work. (Both studies are cited in Sources, below.)

The hardest part isn’t any single task. It’s not knowing the order — and finding out too late that step four needed step one first. The public caregiver forums document the same collision, over and over:

A daughter settling her father’s affairs, days after the funeral: the crematory needs paying and she doesn’t want to front it from her own pocket, his next Social Security check is in limbo, and his 101-year-old sister still lives in the house — so the utilities can’t lapse either. When she asks about the bank, commenters confirm what she feared: without legal authority, the bank won’t discuss the account with her at all.

Documented on AgingCare, June 2024 — thread linked in Sources

A new executor describes the first visit to the Register of Wills as overwhelming — he walked out with a far longer to-do list than he walked in with.

Documented on AgingCare, July 2024 — thread linked in Sources

These aren’t testimonials — they’re the reason this product exists. Four questions in one forum post: the Social Security check, the utilities, the frozen account, the cremation invoice. Each has a known answer and a right week to deal with it. That’s what a playbook is for.

What’s inside

One system, sequenced. You work through it front to back — or jump straight to the fire that’s burning today. Every section opens with two plain sentences on why it exists and what happens if you skip it.

The First 72 Hours

What actually needs doing in the first three days — and the longer list of things that feel urgent but can wait. Time-boxed so you can do it exhausted.

The 90-day sequence

Week-by-week checklists from the death certificate order (how many copies, and why that number) through notifications, benefits, and the estate’s first filings. Each task says who to contact, what to bring, and what to say.

Probate or not: the decision tree

“Probate” just means the court process that makes the will official and gives you legal authority to act. Small estates often get to skip it — the decision tree walks you through the questions courts actually ask, so you know which path to research and what to ask a professional.

Account-closure letter templates

Ready-to-send letters for banks, credit cards, utilities, insurers, and subscriptions. Everything you must personalize is bracketed — [FULL LEGAL NAME OF DECEASED], [ACCOUNT NUMBER — LAST 4 DIGITS ONLY] — everything else ships final.

The call log

The months of phone calls, captured: who you spoke to, reference numbers, what they promised, when to follow up. When an institution says “we have no record of that call,” you will.

The document collector

A guided inventory of what to gather — the will, titles, statements, policies, keys, passwords — with an explanation of who will ask for each item and when.

Scripts for hard calls

Word-for-word openers for the calls people dread: the bank, Social Security, the employer, the landlord. Front-loaded, so the other end knows exactly what you need in the first sentence.

California Supplement included

The first of the state supplement line: California’s small-estate thresholds, forms, and court process, in the same plain English. State pages are dated and reviewed on an annual cycle.

More states are in production; the National Edition works everywhere on its own.

Worth knowing: the playbook organizes exactly the information a probate attorney will ask for in the first meeting — which usually makes that meeting shorter and cheaper. If the estate includes a business, out-of-state property, or a dispute between heirs, an attorney isn’t optional, and hiring one for two hours is money well spent.

Three pages, up close

This is the house style, from three different sections — so you can see what “every blank explained” means before you buy. These are the real pages, not decoration.

The Executor’s PlaybookPart 1 — The First 72 Hours

What today actually requires

Here is the entire mandatory list for the next 72 hours. Everything not on this list can wait, no matter how urgent it feels.

Get an official pronouncement of death (this usually happens without you doing anything)
Decide which funeral home or cremation provider will take the person into care, and arrange transport
Tell the people who need to hear it from a person, not a post
Secure the home, vehicle, pets, and anything valuable
Look for any prepaid funeral plan or written funeral wishes before you sign anything
Start one folder — paper or digital — where every document from this point forward goes

That’s it. Six items, and the first one is usually automatic. You can do this.

Hearthline Press — hearthlinepress.comNot legal advice — see page 24 of 64

The Executor’s PlaybookAppendix A — Phone Scripts

Script 1 — Funeral home: asking prices by phone

Funeral providers must give price information over the phone under the FTC Funeral Rule. Read it flat off the page if you need to.

“Hello — I’m arranging services for a family member who died [TODAY / THIS WEEK]. Before we come in, I’d like some prices over the phone. What is your charge for [DIRECT CREMATION / IMMEDIATE BURIAL / A TRADITIONAL FUNERAL SERVICE], and what does that figure include?”

If they resist: “I understand it’s easier in person, but I’d like the basic prices by phone first, please.” You are entitled to them.

Log the call before you hang up

[REPRESENTATIVE’S NAME — REFERENCE NUMBER]

Hearthline Press — hearthlinepress.comNot legal advice — see page 251 of 64

The Executor’s PlaybookSection 5 — Closing accounts

The account-closure letter

Why this section exists. Most institutions won’t act on a phone call alone — they want a short letter and a copy of the death certificate. Sending this letter, certified mail, starts the clock and gives you a paper trail.

Re: Account of [FULL LEGAL NAME OF DECEASED], account ending [ACCOUNT NUMBER — LAST 4 DIGITS ONLY]

To whom it may concern:

I am writing to notify you that [FULL LEGAL NAME OF DECEASED] died on [DATE OF DEATH]. I am the [EXECUTOR / ADMINISTRATOR / SUCCESSOR TRUSTEE] of the estate. Enclosed is a certified copy of the death certificate…

Helper text under each blank tells you where the answer comes from — e.g. “Exactly as it appears on the death certificate.”

Hearthline Press — hearthlinepress.comNot legal advice — see page 233 of 64

One letter per institution; a log at the end of the section tracks what you’ve sent and what’s come back. Brackets are yours to fill — everything else ships final.

Pricing

$49 one-time · instant download

The Executor’s Playbook, 2026 National Edition — a fillable PDF (a standard AcroForm: type into it, save it, come back to it) plus a print-optimized PDF for working on paper
Works with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader — on Windows, Mac, tablet, or phone; nothing to install beyond the reader you likely already have
A one-page How-To covering filling, saving a copy first, and printing
California Supplement included
US Letter and A4, three-hole-punch safe
Yours forever — no subscription, no download limits

30-day money-back guarantee. Try it for 30 days. If it doesn’t make the work lighter, we’ll refund you — no questions, no forms. Reply to your receipt; that’s the whole process.

Get the Executor’s Playbook — $49

Checkout is handled by Gumroad. When all three Hearthline systems are out, the complete set — $130 bought separately — will be available together for $89.

For scale: physical organization kits run $69–$179 (the Nokbox) and digital document-storage subscriptions run $99.99 every year (Everplans) — both cited in Sources. The Playbook is $49, once, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Questions people ask before buying

Is this legal advice?

No. This is an educational and organizational product — a map of the process and a place to keep everything, not a lawyer. It tells you plainly, at each fork, when a licensed attorney is the right call. The full disclaimer is at the bottom of this page and on page 2 of the playbook itself.

Will it work in my state?

The National Edition covers the sequence that’s broadly the same everywhere: certificates, notifications, account closures, benefits, the call log, the document inventory. Where states genuinely differ — probate thresholds, court forms, deadlines — the playbook flags it and shows you how to confirm with your county’s court. The included California Supplement covers those specifics for California; more states are in production. State pages carry their edition date and are reviewed on an annual cycle — always confirm current requirements with the court or agency involved.

How do I receive it, and what do I need to open it?

Instant download after checkout, in both page sizes (US Letter and A4): a fillable PDF — a standard AcroForm you can type into and save on any computer, tablet, or phone — plus a print-optimized PDF if you’d rather work on paper in a binder, and a one-page How-To covering filling, saving, and printing. The fillable version works with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader (and most built-in PDF viewers); there’s nothing to install beyond that, no account to maintain. Save a copy before filling — the How-To walks you through it.

The death was months ago and I’ve barely started. Is it too late for a “first 90 days” book?

No — the sequence is the same whenever you start, and the playbook tells you which early steps still matter and which have quietly resolved themselves. If it’s been three weeks and you haven’t opened the mail pile, that’s normal. Start with the four envelopes that matter; the playbook tells you which ones.

We already have an attorney. Do we still need this?

Attorneys handle the legal filings; the dozens of practical tasks — the accounts, the utilities, the subscriptions, the phone calls — stay with the family, billed by the hour if you hand them over. The playbook organizes exactly what your attorney will ask for, which usually shortens the billable conversation.

Do you see what I fill in?

No. The PDF lives on your device; nothing you type is sent anywhere. That’s a deliberate design choice — this document will hold account numbers and family details, and it should never sit on someone else’s server.

What if it doesn’t help?

Try it for 30 days. If it doesn’t make the work lighter, we’ll refund you — no questions, no forms. Reply to your purchase receipt within 30 days and we’ll return every cent. You’re buying this at a hard moment; the risk should be ours.

Sources

Empathy, The Cost of Dying (average $12,700 — rounded to $13,000 above — 13–20 months; David Kessler quote): empathy.com/blog/cost-of-dying
Empathy, The Grief Tax (more than half report work performance suffering): empathy.com/thegrieftax
AgingCare forum thread, June 2024 (frozen bank account, cremation invoice, Social Security check): agingcare.com/questions/…-488069
AgingCare forum thread, July 2024 (new executor at the Register of Wills): agingcare.com/questions/…-488374
The Nokbox, pricing ($69–$179): thenokbox.com
Everplans, pricing ($99.99/year): everplans.com/pricing

A note about what this is — and isn’t.

This is an educational and organizational product. It is not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Hearthline Press is not a law firm, and no attorney-client relationship is created by purchasing or using this product. Laws differ by state and change over time; for decisions about your specific situation — especially anything involving a will, probate, taxes, or a dispute — please consult a licensed attorney or qualified professional in your state.

State-specific information in the California Supplement is reviewed on an annual cycle and reflects our understanding as of the edition date on the cover. Always confirm current requirements with the court or agency involved.