An executor plays a critical role in settling an estate—managing assets, paying debts, navigating legal requirements, and serving as the point person during an emotional and often stressful time for families. While many people automatically name a spouse, adult child, or close friend, that decision isn’t always the simplest—or the wisest—choice.
In this episode of Aging Starts Now, Erin Keogh-Rankin, Elder Care Coordinator at Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning, sits down with Mollie Lacher, Founder of Sunny Care Services, to discuss professional executors. Together, they explore what professional executors do, when it makes sense to use one, how fees work, and how a neutral third party can reduce family stress, conflict, and confusion.
Whether you’re planning ahead for yourself or helping a loved one navigate estate planning decisions, this conversation offers clarity and confidence around one of the most overlooked—but most important—roles in your estate plan.
Key topics include:
– What an executor really does (and why it’s more work than most people expect)
– When a professional executor may be the best choice
– Benefits for complex estates, blended families, or high-conflict situations
– How professional executor fees work—and how they compare to the hidden costs of family conflict
-Why naming a backup executor matters
🎙 Aging Starts Now is brought to you by Johnson McGinnis Elder Care Law & Estate Planning, a Life Care Planning Law Firm helping families navigate the legal, financial, and healthcare challenges that come with aging and disability.
