Page 19 - Successor Trustee Handbook

Arrange for the care of members of the immediate family who may need
continuing personal attention, including appropriate in-home living assistance
or childcare.

Notify a funeral director and clergy, and make an appointment to
discuss funeral arrangements. Consult the “Directions to My
Representative” sections of the Trustor’s Family First Firm’s “Estate Planning
Portfolio” for the names and phone numbers of any parties the Trustor may
have selected and any special requests.

Request several copies of Trustor’s death certificate, which you’ll need
for his or her employer, life insurance companies and for your attorney for
legal procedures. Additionally, you will need one (1) original death certificate
for each parcel of real property and Deed of Trust owned by the Trustor. It’s
easier to have the funeral director or mortuary obtain these for you, than for
you to obtain them later on your own, so simply ask the funeral director or
mortuary for more than you think you will need.

Locate the Trustor’s important papers, including the Living Trust and other
estate planning documents (copies of which should be found in his or her
Family First Firm “Estate Planning Portfolio”). See the Chapter, “Reviewing the
Trust (and Other Estate Plan Documents)”. Also, inventory the safe deposit
box, if any. Gather as many of the Trustor’s papers as possible, which could
include statements of various accounts and assets, tax returns, deeds,
insurance and annuity policies, etc. Realize that this information gathering
process may not be completed all at once and may take several weeks.

If you do not reside with the Trustor, change the Trustor’s mailing address
with the local postmaster so that you can receive his or her mail. You will
need to complete a Change of Address Form and submit it to the U.S. Postal
Service. It may be done online through www.usps.com. Proof of your
authority to change the mailing address is typically not required. This address
change will be valid for only a limited number of months, so as mail comes in,
you should notify any senders that future correspondence should be mailed
directly to your address.

At the earlier of the date you begin to locate the Trustor’s important papers
(as set forth above) and the date seven (7) months after the date of death,
notify the Family First Firm and make an appointment to review the
Trustor’s estate planning documents, discuss any possible state and federal
death taxes due (not usually the case when the first spouse dies), go over any
disclaimer or other possible tax planning (which may be required to be
completed within 9 months of death), determine if a Court Probate will be
required for any assets not in the Trust's name, and assist you with some of the
remaining items on this checklist. (Family First Firm offers a free initial
consultation, if you qualify, even if the estate plan was not prepared by them.)

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