When administering an estate, it’s important for the executor to keep up with the mail and charitable solicitations. In the mail, letters may reveal hidden accounts not listed in the estate assets. Furthermore, if the decedent was a charitable person, piles of charitable solicitations probably exist. As a result, the executor needs to sort through the piles to make sure no other property exists.

As executor, you will never know what you may find in the mail during your administration. In the estate I administered, a letter arrived in the mail addressed to the decedent. The letter, from a transfer agent, revealed a stock not listed in the estate assets. In addition, a few days later, while sorting through four large shopping bags full of charitable solicitations, I found three dividend checks that were at least three months old. After reviewing the checks, the checks were still valid. So, I immediately deposited the checks in the estate account. As a result of these findings, I diligently looked over every item that arrived in the mail throughout the rest of the administration.

So, as an executor, keep up with the mail. Moreover, look over every piece of mail in the decedent’s name to avoid throwing out valuable information or property related to the estate.

Was this article helpful to you? Share your comments or questions in the comment area.