All About Estates
By Jennifer Campbell
August 21st, 2026
But Google Says… The Executor’s Guide to Late-Night Googling
Accepting an appointment as executor is a bit like agreeing to assemble a complicated piece of furniture without realizing the instructions are 300 pages long, several pieces are missing, and everyone in the family has a different opinion about how it should be assembled.
Most executors begin the process feeling confident and optimistic. A few months later, they are searching questions at 11:00 p.m. while trying to remember whether they have already sent that bank form for the third or fourth time. After all, most executors do not begin their role with legal training or estate administration experience… and suddenly find themselves responsible for managing assets, paying debts, filing tax returns, and responding to beneficiaries.
In many cases, an executor’s first instinct is to ask Google. The problem? Google can provide thousands of answers— many of which are incomplete, inaccurate, or based on another legal jurisdiction.
Somewhere, at this very moment, another executor is likely sitting at their kitchen table, looking at a stack of bank statements, and typing into Google: “How long does probate take?” What executors often need is not another search result, but practical guidance tailored to the particular estate they are administering.
Some questions are better answered by an experienced [human!] professional, than by a search engine…
Being named an executor does not mean you must handle every aspect of estate administration on your own. In fact, trying to do everything yourself is one of the most common mistakes executors make, and it often leads to delays, errors, and unnecessary personal risk.
