1. Our Editorial Purpose

Executor Checklists exists to answer one question: what do I actually need to do right now? When someone is named as an executor, they are rarely given a clear roadmap. Formal legal resources focus on statutes, exceptions, and liability. What’s often missing is the operational layer — which documents to gather, how to organize a packet, what a bank is actually looking for before releasing funds.

Our content fills that gap. We focus on process, workflow, and document organization. We do not interpret law, advise on tax strategy, or tell you what a deadline means for your specific jurisdiction. That distinction is not a limitation — it is the point.

2. What We Cover — and Don’t

Being explicit about our scope is part of how we protect readers. Knowing what this site is not for is as important as knowing what it is for.

When a topic falls outside our scope, we say so directly rather than attempting to cover it partially. In those cases, we encourage readers to consult a licensed attorney or tax professional in their state.

3. Authorship & Credentials

All content on Executor Checklists is written by Morgan Pierce, estate administration coordinator and site founder. Morgan has been working in the estate administration field since 2015, first in trust and estates practice support and later in direct family-facing roles helping first-time executors manage document workflows.

Morgan holds a B.A. in Communications, which provides the professional lens for the work here: information design, clarity under pressure, and building systems that hold up to institutional scrutiny. Morgan is not an attorney and does not provide legal advice — a distinction that is maintained carefully and consistently throughout this site.

For full background, see the About page and Morgan’s author profile.

4. How We Source Information

Our content is grounded in practical, real-world observation — not legal theory. The primary source for everything on this site is direct, hands-on experience working with estate documents, institutional reviewers, and first-time executors over the course of a decade.

Where we reference specific procedures, requirements, or institutional expectations, we anchor those references to primary sources wherever possible:

• Probate court guidelines and published filing requirements from relevant jurisdictions
• Official banking policy documentation and estate access requirements
• Federal agency guidance (IRS, SSA, FTC) where relevant to executor responsibilities
• State-level agency publications covering estate and fiduciary matters

We do not cite secondary summaries of legal requirements when the primary source is available and readable. When requirements vary by state or institution, we say so explicitly rather than generalizing.

5. Accuracy & Fact-Checking

Before publication, every guide goes through the following process:

• Procedural review. Steps are cross-referenced against the primary source documents that institutional reviewers actually use, not just popular summaries of those documents.
• Language review. Technical or legal terms are translated into plain language and verified to ensure the simplified version still accurately describes the underlying process.
• Scope check. Any statement that could be read as legal advice, jurisdiction-specific guidance, or a professional recommendation is flagged and removed or reframed.
• Consistency check. Terminology is standardized across documents so a reader following multiple guides will not encounter contradictory instructions for the same step.

We do not publish content we are not confident in. If we cannot verify a procedural claim against a primary source, we either omit it or note explicitly that the requirement varies and the reader should confirm with the relevant institution.

6. Content Updates & Reviews

Estate administration procedures, court filing requirements, and institutional policies change over time. We are committed to keeping our content current.

Update Schedule

All core guides and checklists are reviewed on a rolling basis, with a full review cycle completed at least once every 12 months. Pages are also updated outside of the standard cycle when we become aware of a material change in procedure or policy that would affect the accuracy of a guide.

What the “Last Reviewed” Date Means

Every guide displays a last-reviewed date. This reflects the date on which the content was actively verified against current source documents — not simply the date it was last edited for formatting or style. If a review produces no changes, the date is still updated to indicate the content was checked.

Archived and Outdated Content

When a guide covers a procedure that has changed significantly and an immediate update is not possible, we add a visible notice at the top of the page indicating that the content is under review and may not reflect current requirements.

9. Corrections Policy

We take accuracy seriously. When we get something wrong, we fix it promptly and transparently.

Minor Corrections

Typographical errors, broken links, and small formatting issues are corrected without notation as they are discovered or reported. These do not affect the substance of the guidance.

Substantive Corrections

If a procedural step, factual claim, or process description is found to be inaccurate or materially misleading, we will correct the relevant content and add a correction note at the top of the affected page indicating what was changed and when. We do not silently rewrite factual errors.

Reporting an Error

If you believe something on this site is inaccurate, please let us know using the contact details in Section 10. Include the page URL, the specific statement you believe is incorrect, and — if available — a source that contradicts it. We review all correction requests and will respond within five business days.