The Personal Representative Estate Guide

A step-by-step guide to settling an estate in Alberta

Losing someone is never easy and the process of dealing with the financials and administration of settling an estate—while necessary—can be difficult to navigate, especially when grieving the loss of a loved one.

The Personal Representative Guide provides the knowledge you will need to settle an estate, with helpful tools and information. The goal of this guide is to take the weight of learning the estate settlement process off your shoulders during an already difficult time. From learning your role as a personal representative to closing accounts and distributing assets, this free downloadable PDF contains advice at every step along the way.

We hope the information and advice presented here will provide enough relief that you can prioritize your own mental health over administrative tasks during this time. In order to do so, this comprehensive resource covers all the common matters you will encounter throughout the estate settlement process, including:

• Understanding your role as a Personal Representative:

  Serving as the Personal Representative to an estate can be a scary and stressful experience. This guide will help you prepare for and understand the responsibilities of a Personal Representative to help you move forward with the process as smoothly as possible.
  
  
  

• Step-by-step guide to settling an estate: 
  

  From start to finish, this step-by-step guide includes a detailed roadmap for making arrangements and collecting documents, identifying assets and liabilities, probating a will, paying income taxes and distributing assets to beneficiaries. As well, it shares advice about maintaining open communication with beneficiaries throughout.
  
  

• Personal Representative checklist:

  Included in the guide is a complete checklist to organize the estate settlement process and help keep you on track. We know that you have a lot going on and will need to take your mind off estate settlement from time to time. Please don’t hesitate to print off and make use of this checklist to avoid losing track of your progress.
  
  

• How we can help:

  In addition to talking with your bank, you may also need to engage other professional services like accountants and lawyers to settle an estate. If needed, ATB can introduce you to accountants and lawyers who can provide advice and professional services tailored to your unique situation.

Being trusted as a Personal Representative and helping others to remember someone’s life is an honour. While this guide may help you at various points of settling an estate, it’s important to note that it should not replace professional advice. If you find yourself at a roadblock or encounter any issues, please immediately reach out to a professional for assistance.