You're the Trustee Now

Your parent has died, and the trust names you as successor trustee.

Now you're responsible for the house, the accounts, the bills, the taxes, and your siblings' questions, and the trust document reads like it was written for lawyers.

This book walks through the whole job in the order it happens, in plain English, from the first week to the day you close the trust.

Inside you'll find:

• A one-page checklist for the first seven days


• How to get a tax ID, open the trust account, and handle banks that push back


• What passes outside the trust, and what to do about assets that never made it in


• Date-of-death values, the step-up in basis, and the trust's tax return


• Selling or distributing the house, paying debts, and Medicaid estate recovery


• Keeping beneficiaries informed, and what to do when a sibling disagrees


• Six playbooks for common situations, four full case files, sample letters, and a receipt-and-release form

Written for U.S. readers, current as of 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.