Reactive Support: What To Do After a Loved One Passes Away

When someone dies, the grief comes first — and the paperwork starts immediately after. Banks freeze accounts. Mail piles up. Every institution wants documents you may not have yet. If you’re the executor, the administrator, or simply the family member everyone is looking to, this page walks through what happens, in what order — and where Transference takes the work off your plate.

The first days

Order certified death certificates. You’ll need more copies than you expect — banks, insurers, brokerages, and agencies each want one. The funeral home can help you order them; ordering extras now is far easier than reordering later.
Find the will. The named executor needs the original. Look where your loved one kept important papers — and check with their attorney.
Secure the home and the mail. Make sure the property is locked up and mail is collected or forwarded; statements arriving in the mail are often the first map of what accounts exist.
Don’t rush. Don’t pay their debts out of your own pocket, don’t close accounts or retitle anything yet, and don’t throw away paperwork — even junk mail can reveal an account.

Starting the probate process in Connecticut

Probate is the court process that gives someone legal authority to act for the estate. In general terms, it works like this:

File with the Probate Court. The will and an application are filed with the Probate Court for the district where your loved one lived. Connecticut expects the will to be filed promptly — within 30 days of the death. If there is no will, a family member can apply to be appointed administrator instead.
The court appoints the fiduciary. The court formally appoints the executor (named in the will) or administrator (when there is no will) and issues the certificate that proves their authority. This is the document banks and brokerages actually want to see.
Open the estate account and get a tax ID. The estate needs its own bank account and an IRS employer identification number (EIN) so estate money stays separate from everyone’s personal money.
Inventory what exists. Accounts, policies, property, debts — everything has to be identified and valued. This is where the paperwork hunt begins.
Notify everyone who needs to know. Social Security, Medicare, insurers, banks, credit card companies, and creditors all need formal notice, and Connecticut gives creditors a window of time to present claims.
Settle debts, expenses, and taxes. Valid claims and any estate or income taxes are handled from estate funds, in the order the law requires.
Distribute and close. What remains goes to the beneficiaries named in the will — or, without a will, under Connecticut’s intestacy rules — and a final accounting is filed with the court to close the estate.

Every estate is different, and deadlines vary. This is a general overview of the process, not legal advice — many families also work with a probate attorney, and Transference handles the administrative paperwork alongside you both.

Where Transference takes over

This process runs on paperwork, phone calls, and follow-up — and that’s exactly the work Transference does:

Re-registering bank, brokerage, and retirement accounts out of the deceased’s name
Obtaining death certificates and establishing the estate tax ID (EIN)
Opening the estate account and organizing statements and records
Notifying Social Security, Medicare, insurers, banks, credit card companies, and credit bureaus
Handling transfer-agent paperwork (Computershare, EQ Shareowner Services) and Medallion signature guarantees
Transferring paper stock certificates to electronic form
Closing or transferring utilities, memberships, subscriptions, and vehicle titles
Keeping track of every form, deadline, and institution so nothing falls through the cracks

How it works

Free consultation — tell us where things stand; we’ll tell you what needs to happen next.
Written proposal within 48 hours — flat-fee pricing based on the number of account statements involved, so you know the cost up front.
We do the paperwork — forms, calls, follow-ups, and tracking, while you take care of your family.

Call Transference: 203-623-6083 for a free consultation. You don’t have to figure this out alone.

Related help

Transference provides administrative support only — not legal or tax advice.