Legal & Privacy
Privacy Policy
Last updated: Feb 28, 2026
1. Who We Are
Executor Checklists (executorchecklists.com) is an independent informational website that helps individuals navigate the administrative process of settling an estate. The site is authored and operated by Morgan Pierce, an estate administration coordinator.
For the purposes of applicable data protection legislation, Morgan Pierce (operating as Executor Checklists) is the data controller responsible for personal information collected via this website. When this policy uses “we,” “us,” or “our,” it refers to Executor Checklists and its operator. “You” and “your” refer to any visitor or user of this site.
Note: This is a content and resource website. We do not operate user accounts, charge for access, or function as a law firm or financial institution. Our data practices are correspondingly minimal.
2. Information We Collect
We collect two categories of information: data you voluntarily provide, and data automatically generated when you visit the site.
Information You Provide Directly
We may collect personal information when you subscribe to our newsletter, submit a question or comment through a contact form, or send us a direct email. In these cases, the information collected may include your name, email address, and the content of your message. You are never required to submit personal information in order to read our content.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain technical data is automatically recorded by our servers and third-party analytics tools. This may include:
- Your IP address, typically stored in truncated, anonymized form
- Browser type, version, and operating system
- The URL of the page you visited before arriving here
- Pages visited, time spent on each page, and scroll depth
- Date and time of your visit
- General geographic region at the country or city level, derived from IP address
- Device type: desktop, mobile, or tablet
This data is used in aggregate to understand how our content performs. It is not used to identify you as an individual.
| Data Type | Source | Required? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name & email address | Contact or newsletter form | Only if you opt in | Communication, newsletters |
| Message content | Contact form or direct email | Only if you reach out | Responding to your inquiry |
| IP address (anonymized) | Server logs and analytics | Automatic | Security, spam prevention, analytics |
| Browser and device data | Analytics tool | Automatic | Site performance and improvement |
| Pages and session data | Analytics tool | Automatic | Understanding content usage |
| Ad interaction data | Google AdSense | Automatic (if ads shown) | Serving relevant ads, fraud prevention |
3. How We Use Your Information
We use collected information solely for the following purposes:
- To respond to your inquiries. If you contact us, we use your name and email address to reply to your message.
- To send newsletters and content updates. If you subscribe, we use your email address to deliver the communications you requested. You may unsubscribe at any time.
- To improve the website. Aggregated, anonymized usage data helps us identify which guides are most useful and how the site performs across devices.
- To maintain security and prevent abuse. Server logs and IP data help us identify and block malicious traffic, spam submissions, and attacks.
- To serve advertising. Google AdSense may use cookies and browsing data to display ads. This is governed by Google’s own policies, not ours. See Section 5 for full details.
- To comply with legal obligations. In limited circumstances we may be required by law to retain or process certain data.
We do not sell your data, rent email lists, build personal profiles for our own advertising purposes, or share your contact details with third parties for their own marketing. Ad personalization, where it occurs, is handled entirely by Google AdSense under its own policies.
5. Advertising & Affiliate Links
This site earns revenue in two ways: through display advertising served by Google AdSense and through affiliate partnerships. We are committed to being transparent about both.
Google AdSense
We use Google AdSense to display advertisements on this site. Google AdSense uses cookies and other tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this and other websites. This means ads you see here may be personalized based on your browsing history across the web — a practice known as interest-based advertising.
Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visit to our site and/or other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalized advertising through the following options:
- Google Ads Settings — manage your ad personalization preferences
- aboutads.info — opt out of interest-based ads from participating companies (DAA)
- youronlinechoices.com — opt out of interest-based ads (EEA/UK users)
Opting out of personalized ads does not mean you will see no ads — it means the ads you see will not be tailored to your interests. For more information on how Google uses data from sites that use its services, visit How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.
Affiliate Links
Some links on this site are affiliate links. This means that if you click a link and subsequently make a purchase or sign up for a service, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships never influence our editorial content or recommendations. We only link to resources we believe are genuinely useful to our readers.
Pages that contain affiliate links are clearly marked with a disclosure notice at the top of that page, in accordance with FTC guidelines and applicable advertising standards.
Our editorial independence: Affiliate commissions and advertising revenue help us keep this site free to access. They do not influence which topics we cover, how we assess resources, or the recommendations we make. If we link to a product or service, it is because we believe it is relevant and useful — not because of any commercial relationship.
| Revenue Type | How It Works | Disclosed? | Affects Editorial? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google AdSense | Google serves ads based on cookies and browsing behavior | Yes — this policy & cookie notice | No |
| Affiliate links | We may earn a commission if you click and purchase | Yes — disclosed at top of each page | No |
| Sponsored content | Not currently used | N/A | N/A |
| Paid placements | Not currently used | N/A | N/A |
6. Third-Party Services
To operate this website, we rely on a small number of third-party service providers. Each maintains its own privacy policy governing how they process data on our behalf.
| Service | Purpose | Data Shared | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web hosting | Serving website files | Server logs, IP addresses | View policy |
| Google Analytics | Aggregated site analytics | Anonymized usage data | View policy |
| Google AdSense | Display advertising | Cookies, browsing behavior, IP address | View policy |
| Affiliate networks | Tracking affiliate link clicks & commissions | Click data, referral source | Varies by network |
| Email service provider | Delivering newsletters | Subscriber name and email | View policy |
| Spam filter | Blocking spam submissions | IP address, form content | View policy |
| Content delivery network | Fast global content delivery | IP address, request data | Varies by provider |
We do not embed social media widgets or allow retargeting technology to operate on our pages outside of what is described in this policy. We do not sell data to or share data with any third party for their independent marketing purposes.
7. How We Share Information
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to anyone. We share data only in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers acting on our behalf. Our hosting, email, and analytics providers process data under contractual obligations consistent with this policy, as described in Section 6.
- Advertising partners. Google AdSense receives cookie and usage data for the purpose of serving and measuring ads, as described in Section 5. This is governed by Google’s Privacy Policy, not ours.
- Legal requirements. We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or governmental authority, or if we reasonably believe disclosure is necessary to protect the safety or rights of our visitors or the public.
- Business transfer. In the unlikely event this website is transferred or merged with another entity, your data may be included among the transferred assets. We would notify you of any such change and your options prior to the transfer.
In all other circumstances, your information remains with us and our designated service providers, used only for the purposes described in this policy.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected:
- Contact inquiries are retained for up to 24 months, or until the matter is resolved, after which records are deleted.
- Newsletter subscribers remain on file for as long as the subscription is active. Upon unsubscribing, email addresses are removed from active lists within 30 days and purged from backups within 90 days.
- Analytics data is retained for up to 26 months. Anonymized trend summaries may be kept longer in aggregate form.
- Server logs are automatically deleted after 90 days.
9. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, alteration, or disclosure:
- HTTPS encryption (TLS) across all pages of this website
- Access controls limiting who can view contact submissions and subscriber lists
- Regular software updates to address known security vulnerabilities
- Data processing agreements with all third-party service providers
No method of internet transmission is completely secure. In the event of a data breach affecting your personal information, we will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.
10. Your Rights & Choices
Depending on your location, you may have certain rights regarding your personal information. We honor these rights regardless of where you reside.
Rights Available to You
- Right to access. You may request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
- Right to correction. If the information we hold is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us to correct it.
- Right to erasure. You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to any legal obligations requiring its retention.
- Right to restriction. You may ask us to restrict processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
- Right to data portability. Where technically feasible, you may request a copy of your data in a structured, machine-readable format.
- Right to object. You may object to our processing of your personal information at any time.
- Right to withdraw consent. Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.
- Right to opt out of personalized ads. You may opt out of interest-based advertising served by Google AdSense at any time via Google Ads Settings or aboutads.info.
How to Exercise Your Rights
To submit a rights request, contact us using the information in Section 14. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing certain requests. There is no charge for submitting a rights request.
Email Communications
Every newsletter we send includes a one-click unsubscribe link. You may also request removal by emailing us directly. Unsubscribe requests are honored within 10 business days.
California Residents (CCPA)
If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect, the right to request its deletion, and the right to opt out of its sale. We do not sell personal information. You also have the right not to be discriminated against for exercising any of these rights.
EEA, UK & Swiss Residents (GDPR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or Switzerland, your personal information is processed under the GDPR or equivalent legislation. Our legal bases for processing are: legitimate interests for analytics and site security; contract performance for responding to inquiries; consent for newsletter subscriptions; and legitimate interests for advertising (subject to your right to object). You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
11. Children’s Privacy
This website is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. Estate administration is a subject matter intended for adults, and our content is written accordingly.
If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, we will delete it promptly. If you believe we have received such information, please contact us immediately using the details in Section 14.
12. External Links
Our guides may include links to external websites such as government agencies, court portals, or professional directories. These links are provided for informational purposes only.
We have no control over the content or privacy practices of external websites. Once you leave executorchecklists.com, this Privacy Policy no longer applies. We encourage you to review the privacy policy of any site you visit.
Where affiliate links are present, this is disclosed at the top of the relevant page in accordance with FTC guidelines.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the effective date at the top of this page.
For material changes — those that meaningfully affect how we collect or use your personal information — we will provide more prominent notice, such as a site banner or a direct email to newsletter subscribers, at least 14 days before the changes take effect.
Your continued use of this website after the effective date of any updated policy constitutes your acknowledgment of the changes. If you do not agree with the revised policy, you should discontinue use of the site and, if applicable, unsubscribe from our communications. Prior versions of this policy are available upon request.
Questions About This Policy?
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please reach out. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 5 business days.
Executor Checklists — Privacy Inquiries[email protected]