Free Help With Probate Tasks: How Executorium is Helping Estate Executors Nationwide

In Episode 29, George Compton, founder of Executorium.com, shares insights into the challenges faced by executors during the probate process. Executorium provides a comprehensive online platform offering directories of service providers, government resources, and articles to support you whether you're doing probate yourself or just need additional help navigating your role as an estate executor.

There's something new to learn every week, so make sure you subscribe, hit the like button, and save this video to a playlist. If you need, help hop over to https://willowwoodsolutions.com to contact Sherri Lund.

EPISODE CHAPTERS

0:00 Introducing George Compton

7:00 What is Executorium?

19:17 How Executorium Can Help You Manage Probate Tasks

26:03 Executorium's Mission: Free Probate Help for the Public

31:46 How To Talk To Your Family About Death and Estate Planning

35:51 New Services to Help Personal Representatives and Executors in Probate

39:12 The #1 Tip For Personal Representatives Handling Probate

🌟 Here's a short list of probate tasks Executorium has local resources for:

1. Finding probate attorneys
2. Locating real estate agents
3. Identifying accountants for financial matters
4. Appraising estate assets
5. Arranging estate sales or auctions
6. Donating personal belongings to charity
7. Accessing grief support and counseling services
8. Securing storage facilities for estate items
9. Hiring concierge services for administrative assistance
10. Exploring mediation services for conflict resolution

You can also contact Sherri for help anytime.

🤝 Contact  George Compton, Publisher at Executorium
Website: https://executorium.com

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcTbAfSmVuFWDCkyi99IcdQ

🤝 Contact Sherri:

Sherri invites you to explore her toolbox of resources on the Willow Wood Solutions website and encourages you to reach out to her through the contact form. For direct assistance, call or text Sherri at (832) 640-2997

📍 Website: https://WillowWoodSolutions.com 

📞 Contact: (832) 640-2997

Connect with Sherri Lund and learn more about probate real estate, downsizing, and caregiver support on

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sherri-lund-willowwoodsolutions/
• Facebook (Share your recommendation!): https://www.facebook.com/WillowWoodSolutions
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/willowwoodsolutions/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV2fpT6kTz67ufkmMK5Z7zg/

Disclosure: The information shared on The Probate Podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. We strongly recommend consulting with a professional for advice specific to your situation. If you need help finding a professional, feel free to reach out to us at www.willowwoodsolutions.com/contact.

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Transcript

0:21

Hi there, my name is Sherri Lund and I'm so glad you're here. I'm the founder of Willow Wood Solutions and Willow Wood Solutions is the sponsor of this podcast, the Probate Podcast. I started my company in 2021 to help families that are stressed and overwhelmed trying to get through the probate process and liquidate an estate. And each year I've added services and that's how I met my guest today, George Compton. Our paths crossed and I'm so glad that they did. I'm looking forward to doing future things with him, but today we're going to talk to him about what he provides to the listeners and to the people across the great country of the United States. So, Pull out your pen and paper, we have things that we're going to be sipping on choose your favorite beverage and get ready to put your seat belts on because George and I are going to talk about a lot of things that are going to be helpful to you. If not now, then certainly sometime in the future. So George, welcome so much for coming. Thank you for being here. Sherri thank you so much for having me on. I I'm looking forward to uh, what we're about to uncover. Yeah. Yeah. Well, let me tell the audience a little bit about you. George Compton is the publisher of executorium.com. He's been the principal of construct marketing LLC, and that's a marketing consultancy that specializes in the heavy construction sector. Before this, he was the executive director of the Deep Foundations Institute, a 5013C nonprofit for engineers, contractors, suppliers, manufacturers of heavy civil construction. Mr. Compton lives in Tranquility, New Jersey with his family and Labrador retriever, Mia. That's a very brief bio about and I have so many questions about how you got from there to where you are today. But before we go there let's get started with who you are as a person. Who are you as a person, George? Well, that's a great question. I have a hard time putting aside business. I'm always thinking about executorium and what's the piece of content I need to address. I went to Newton high school, so I'm back in my hometown where I grew up. You know, can't go to the supermarket without seeing somebody I know. And that's very nice. My wife Vanessa is my best friend and she's upstairs working on her computer and she is a great supporter of me and executorium. And I hope she remembers to put Mia out while I'm on this interview because I did not. I'm sure Mia will let herself be known if her needs come up, right? She will. So if you see a Labrador Retriever you know, jumping into the screen, then well, that explains it. Now then we're going to talk about what executorium is in a little bit, but I'm really curious how you went from heavy construction. 5013C into what you're doing now, that sounds like a very, very interesting route. Well, it's a, it is it's the culmination of of those experiences. I became an executor. Anyone who's been an executor and suffered a loss, perhaps we'll find some humor in this kind of dark tale, but I was cleaning out the desk. My desk is executive directors. I was planning to go into my consulting role having been executive director at DFI, where we disseminate information, contractors and engineers talk, and there's just this confluence of ideas and knowledge, and I was wrapping that part of my life up and my mom called and she was on the way to the hospital and long story short 5 days later, 3 days later, I'm an executor. So you know what that means. And, well, not according to the courts, but, you know, that's when my mom passed away, so I'm beginning my, my journey in that direction down that road. Down that road, I found myself just, okay, where's the center of the executor universe? Where's estate, probate knowledge? Where do I find it? But I was wandering my way through this forest with bumping into a lot of trees and tripping on a lot of holes and so I wanted to put the 2 things together and wanted to create something where there was a center of the universe so that executors could go find themselves in the landscape and just poke around and say. Oh, how do I rent a dumpster? How do I vet a probate attorney? What questions do I ask? What questions do I need? What's an appraisal? Should I auction? Should I estate sale? How do I sell gold? What do I do with mom's eyeglasses? How do I donate stuff? So there's just this endless set of questions I wanted to create a space for. It's so generous for you to think about others while you're going through something, trying to keep your head above that water when it's so overwhelming. And obviously you felt responsible to do a good job with your mom's estate because you were doing so much research and trying to find out what all the pieces were and I can really relate to you thinking what you know, where is where is my footing here? Like everything is crazy and all over the place and what it's what pertains to me and and right now and there is such a learning curve with probate because it's changes between the states. It changes between counties. Sometimes what's required with an attorney in one state is not at all in the other one. And there's not a book that's current, or I mean, there are books that are current, but some of them are so heavy and technical that a person in grief, you know, it's too much for them. How much time went by between when your mom passed and when you were really in the mental space to be able to start taking on this task? Yes. Well, it was pretty quick and I had co executors I had I have siblings, five sisters, and it was very noisy. So I think the family par and the relationships par is a big part of executorium. There's so many pieces to the executor journey that, you know, it's hard to just highlight 1, but the timeframe was quick to get this underway, but it was long, much longer than I thought it was going to be. That's a lesson executors don't know the job generally and likely underestimate how long it's going to take. Yeah. Yeah, I think you're right. So explain executorium and what that is. So executorium is, is an answer to the situation of poof, you're an executor. Even if you knew it was coming and not, and despite your experiences as a human being, as a professional, whatever you may do up to that point discussions you may have had with your family up to that point, the experience isn't like any other. Different jurisdictions offer different levels of support. You may get some, you may get none. If you look at around the jurisdictions, different, there are different levels of website competency. So you, you go into 1 county or I will go into 1 county executors only have to go into 1 county and you'll see, you know, very well laid out different guides, white papers, resources, and in another county you have a hard time finding, finding even where the probate office. Is or that it exists. We seek to answer that question. So what it is is a website of 4 parts, a directory of service providers by county, a directory of government pages by county. Your county, your state IRS that we think you want to know about, a section of articles, which are written by myself staff, or by guests, and then an Athenium of just things that are out there on the web uh, on the internet. And I just want to bring to an executor's attention so they don't miss it. So that section is, in fact, the entire website is about creating awareness, flattening the learning curve, and that it be all open access. There's no pay wall. There's advertising for service providers and other people that are interested in reaching the audience. Obviously, there's a business model to it. Got to keep the lights on, but that it be open access is most important that you can wander through and educate yourself and just hit on things that are either in your path or you're likely to encounter and be better at it, take away some of the pain points and be a better executor and administer a better estate. And that's so huge 1 of my big deal. Well, I have several big deals that messages that ride over my entire career. And 1 is that you matter and you're not too much and that you're important and your questions are not silly. And what you're describing to me is a place that you've created, it reminds me of like a library where someone can go in and meander at their own pace. And they can look at this room. I'd like to go in this room and sit down and pull off a book or read an article over here that talks about this. And if you want another resource, you can wander to another part. And so it just seems like you are offering in a very gentle way, some information that people can pick and choose from. And I think that that's a lovely support. The third thing that I would say for me is that I'm always trying to help people get back out of stress so that they can make better decisions because it's impossible to make good decisions when you're overwhelmed and your executive brain is turned off. The work that you're doing is providing a space where they can go at their own pace, and they can learn what they need to learn because you can't learn from a fire hydrant either. So how did you get the idea for this platform quickly on what you just said? Sherri, it's important. And I always say it's hard to be loose when your head's in a noose. Yes. So yes. You know, where did I get the idea? I really went looking for it and didn't see it and had to build it. So that's the culmination of having been an executive director of a 501c3, a very good one, an international one, a professional one, with very Very bright people whose shoulders I was able to stand on and sometimes what you're looking for, what you're looking at, but you know, this is this is the vision and we're just getting started. You know, we barely scratched the surface. You know, I, I have intended to mediation quite as much as I'd like to. I think that's a great off road off ramp for people headed towards litigation. Appraisal auction, the state sales. Different relationships with the jurisdictions you know, executoriums, a baby, we're young and just looking to really tap into its potential and see where they see where it goes. And hopefully along the way, some executors won't emerge quite so world weary. And it is it can be an oppressive experience for a lot of people. Every state's different, but so many executors are just, you know, they walk away from the funeral with a huge job to do, unlike their other grieving loved ones. And it is it was not like any it was not like any experience I had had. So there's the genesis for executorium in a nutshell. Yeah. And you make a good point to my goodness. You had quite the position in quite a substantial company and and even with your experience and your background and your education, or whatever it is that got you to that place, you still find yourself in a new room with new things that you're supposed to know and figure out. And there's not a lot of logic out there to to put those pieces together. And even very smart people, very capable people can feel overwhelmed and stressed when they step into that executor role. We don't know what we don't know, but we're we do know that we're lost. And so when we're trying to figure out what resources are out there, I hope that they'll land on this and hear this conversation and will lead them to some, a new level of comfort and maybe not the next steps for their particular situation, but certainly some resources for them to draw on. I think that that's so important. We talked a lot about the challenges that executors face. Is there anything else you want to elaborate on as far as how you see executorium filling that gap? Yeah, executors face a lot of challenges. You know, some of them would just touched on you know, I can go into a story where I had people, local folks come in well, meaning to look at some things that they might want to want to buy from within the personal property that the heirs had not chosen from and a gentleman kind of reached and grabbed a porcelain figurine, something and kind of put it back and it was broken when he put it back and I didn't remember if he had broken it or if it had been broken or what the story was. And I, you know, how do you prepare yourself for that situation? And this is not a very material thing in a large estate, but, you know, a new situation. So that's kind of the just encapsulates. The little thing that is 1 of 300 touches that you're going to have within an estate from Alpha to Omega from A to Z. And, you know, if we can just give you some context, some support on half of those things, 10 of those things, one of those things our jobs well done, I still don't know what I should have done with the guy that broke, broke the LARF figurine and it wasn't even very, you know, valuable, but you know, it's just one of those executor situations where you're like, yeah, I don't know. I don't know. Yeah. Where do you go? Yeah. And when you're stretched so thin, when your capacity is limited in a situation like that, something that happened on that day on another day at another time before you were an executor, it might not have been an issue, but but we can be taken back with the memory of that thing or how much mom loved it or. All the things and then my goodness, you're going through their personal things, things that you've never looked at before and thought of before personal things also financial things and things that were private and, it feels like you're on sacred ground sometimes, or it's just a weird feeling to be in that place, making those decisions with somebody else's stuff. Well, you're the you're the fiduciary for the estate. You are also the kind of standard bearer for the decedent. You're the executor for a reason. You know, you, you're working for the estate and the person has passed, but you're They're with you. There's no doubt they are present. When you're just, you know, one of those moments, you're going through another box and there you are alone. Or maybe your family's helping you. Maybe they're not. I don't know. Maybe you don't want them to be helping you. Sometimes they help and you don't want their help. Yeah. Yeah. You know, there you are. And it's, it's lonely. It can be very lonely. And you know, just like when, you know, the gentleman, you know, did, you know, it inadvertently break that thing. You know, I'm a fiduciary is this, but it would it's a different hat than if it's just mine. And, you know, right. Don't worry about it, dude. Or I'm bound by the estate to have you pay for that, you know, 5 figurine, or maybe it was a 50 figurine. Who knows what it is. It's different. It's a different skin. It is. And it's definitely different from your siblings and the other people. Like you've got a responsibility or mantle that that responsibility that you you're walking with. And that's a very good point. And, you know, you'll, because you feel like, well, you know, my sibling, a fellow heir, a fellow beneficiary is going to come up and say, well, where's that figurine that I love so much. And you're like, oh, the guy broke it. Oh, the guy broke it. Then you're telling the story. Then you're responsible for it. And you're like, well, I should ask the guy, you know, and then it's like. You know, I, sorry, you have to give yourself a lot of forgiveness in that, in that, in that, in that space. I wish that for every executor listening that you have a keep a sense of humor and provide yourself with plenty of kindness and forgiveness. You know, one of the things that I did is I wrote a little bit, I don't know whether to call it a book or a booklet. It's not very long, it's very basic. But my point of it was so that the family members, the heirs of the beneficiaries could all be on the same page so that they know they all get paid at the end, not at the beginning when they want, and the recent to communicate to them the responsibility that the executor or the administrator is carrying and to give them a break, if we can minimize the disputes between the siblings and make it easier, that would take some of the weight off of the executor too. And I know that you go into some of that in the directory and the services that are provided there. Can you talk about some of the resources that are on your site? Well, 1st of all I want that sentiment. As content Sherry, so I'm going to put you on the hook to you know, either something where I can link to that on the Athenium or guest, you can guest post in the article section, because starting with the end in mind and communicating what you just said that the executive will be doing their best. There are different executors as well as different states, but you know, what to expect, I don't think is well communicated to the executor. To communicate that to the heirs and I don't because I don't think they know. So hopefully executor and creates a place where we can get that message and an important message it is across. What was your question? I just thought that's very important. What you said more important than what my, my answer would be. That's cute. Yeah, I was asking you to elaborate on the resources that are there. I know that you touch some on grief support and counseling, like it's not just the task to do list. And, and I have to say, you know, my background, you may not know, my background is in natural health and how stress affects our physical health and all of that. So it's super important to me when, when we're going through this, I recognize the fact that someone has passed away and that's That's very, you know, it is what it is to a lot of different people. It can be different things. Now, my focus is on the person who's left behind, especially the executor or the personal representative, because they've got all this responsibility. They've got all this. Stuff they have to go through and they still get sick, they still have babies, they still, you know, need that job promotion. They still have divorces. I mean like life doesn't stop because probate begins. So I'm all about what, how I can have that person's back and what can I do to help them? And so I think the things that you have on your website, in your directories and things communicate that like this is here for you. So elaborate on that a little bit, please. Yeah, I think it's important for anyone listening who is an executor to take what you said to heart you know, you do have babies. You do have. You know, Christmas concerts and jobs and all these things to, to cope with in context. So context is probably, I mean, you have to show up at the soccer games and act like you're excited. You have to go Christmas shopping and set. I don't know if people mail Christmas cards anymore, but like you have to keep doing the thing while you're carrying this ball and chain around. It's it's a lot. Yeah. Albatross ball and chain is a good way to explain it. And unless you're an executor or had been an executor, you're not likely to really understand that. You know, and there's a lot there was there can be jealousy over who's chosen as the executor. So it would executorium really what our goal is, is provide resources for executors. And what that does is provides context, provides a view of the landscape, whatever. That might look like and it is a confusing emotional time with very little support. And you've got to be the answerer of questions, the question, you know, the questioner of answers. And you've got to really just, you know, run a project like a project manager and be accountable as a fiduciary as a sibling or a family member. And that's a, that's just a lot of demand on a person. So again, executorium comes back to service providers directory. So in Sussex County, New Jersey, I will go and look at the service providers directory and I'll see a probate attorney or a list of probate attorneys, a list of real estate agents and some donation places like the Beehive Auxiliary on Spring Street and Newton. And okay, there's a place I can bring some stuff. Mediators, why would I need a mediator? Well, maybe I'll find out in a couple months, but maybe hopefully not, but maybe that jogs my brain that, you know, this is getting squirrelly. Maybe we all need to sit down with a mediator and you know, hash this out before it gets really. Super squirrely and expensive. That's not so much a message about mediation as it is a, what the service provider's directory does. It jogs an idea because, okay, there's appraisers. Why would I need an appraiser? I don't know. I'm just, poof. I'm an executor. I don't know what an appraiser does. I'm just a heavy construction guy. Mm-Hmm, . Another example is grief support. We, we make a big point in executorium of just having that present in every space possible because, oh, yeah, you're an executor. Oh, and, oh, well, you're grieving too. So let's put that in a place so that it. Scratches an itch that says, hey, you know, here's some places you can go. Here's some things you can read to just. Support you in, in, in that space and just provide some idea that there are places to go and things to read and a way to think about it. You're not just you know, you're not a machine. Right. Right. For sure. Can you talk about some of the things, some of the different categories that are on the directory? Sure Every county will have probate attorneys, real estate agents, accountants, appraisers, auctioneers, estate sales companies, donation centers, grief support we have some storage companies that have taken listings.. I think I've got all of them. For the most part, oh, and, you know, after law services, concierge slash slash concierges that will take on a an array of duties administrative and just, you know, help you work through them. And I think there's a big opportunity to help an executor as a kind of a wing person and guide them through this experience and this project to just check boxes, take care of tasks and coach provide network and support. And I. Wish I had that. Yeah. Yeah, that's that's where I started with Willow Wood Solutions was being that concierge service. You know, the, a lot of people think that attorneys will do it all. And that's what we're paying them for. Right? And then we find out on a list of 25 things they might do 3. Yeah, your idea of maybe 30 percent was pretty accurate. And and then there's all the other stuff that that doesn't all have to be done by the executor. There are certain things that the executor has to sign off on or actually tend to, but a lot of the logistical stuff, they don't need to get 3, 3 referrals on which contractor to use. And they don't need to get, you know, all of those. Okay. Quotes from the junk removal dumpster people that can just be delegated and then they can just say, yeah, you picked the right 1 good for you. I'm signing off and going back to the beach. I love that because you don't know when grief is going to show up and you don't, you know, you do need to go to that soccer practice and attend to the Christmas concert stuff, so that's what keeps you whole is insane as a person. And and this goes on for a long time. We haven't talked yet about how long the executor. Season is, but it can go on for a long, long time. Are there fees involved for people to have access to the directory? No, no it is it is by design open access and always will be. I've had every website person tell me I am a fool. But it is very important for the spirit and nature of executorium, that it be open access that you can just go in and find information, find service providers, find the government pages you want to be aware about, find in the Athenium section, all sorts of articles around the Internet will educate ,you. So there's no, there are no fees. You know, a lot of people get their information off of Facebook or from a friend who could live in another state or an attorney who is board certified in another state. A lot of books and things that were written are not necessarily current, or articles on the Internet. You need to check those publication dates. So what do you hope that executorium provides for people? My hope is that it grows that it just fleshes out from the directories to the articles and the information and what I hope it does for people is helps them ask questions. Helps them understand those individual encounters with the probate attorney to challenge them to ask questions to be smart as they approach the liquidation folks and know what it's supposed to look like and be. It's about flattening the learning curve and taking away some of this pain of a experience that is really in my head, like no other. And you know, if it helps 1 family careening towards litigation, find mediation. Then that's a win for me. That's a win. If we can help somebody find a way to a grief support counselor or coach, then that's a win. It's just such a generous thing George that you've done. And you've invested a lot I know you've invested a lot thought of thought wise, certainly financially, your time, your energy, your conversations with other people. You had sleepless nights over what you can do for people that you don't even know and will not know that you've even benefited them. I mean, it's just such a generous thing that you're doing and and for people that are feeling vulnerable and all of that. I just really commend you for your vision and how you're taking action on that. Well, thank you, Sherri. I had one of those sleepless nights last night, but that was because of the dog, not executorium. So it always comes back to either the dog or executorium or...one or the other. Well, you know, it's, it's, it's not 100 percent altruism. We keep the lights on through offering advertising in the estate service providers directory and the government pages directory, so you can advertise in a county and it's super economical, so it's meant to be grassroots and that's where you do your business as an executor in your local area, so it, you know, it helps to highlight the listings, which are provided for free. You know, that's that's. The executorial model. Yeah, love it. On our podcast, we talk a lot about communication and getting the conversation started. We talk about topics that are difficult to talk about, you know, One of the problems that I've run into with probate is because it is a legal season. It starts with the judge's gavel and it ends with the judge's gavel, but people talk about how to avoid probate long before it ever shows up. And then even after probate is officially closed, they may still have four houses full of stuff that they have not touched and squatters are in one. And I mean, it's a mess. So the conversation language is a part of the problem.. That's one of my soap boxes, but I think it's a good one. And I think it's necessary to talk about it and get it out into the open. And, you know, just you know, Alexander the great left a great legacy, you know, just let loose the dogs of war and that's no way to run an estate. Talking about it prior to the fact. As, as that relates to, you know, before death is, is, is I think just time and money well spent. It probably magnifies itself times 10 and savings and frustration. As it relates to executorium, it probably is closing the barn door after the horse has gotten out. But I would use an exit. For a state planning, I think executorium and this has not been our direction or our intent, but, you know, if you are doing a state planning, looking through executorium will bring up a lot of questions because you're in the space of after the fact. You know, it's a learning opportunity. And what about this? And what about that? And if you're an executor or named executor prior to being an actual executor, if you're the named person in the will you'll have some questions to ask of your family and the the person whose will you are the executor of and how do you want things to go down when that does take place. Through, you know, just again, exploring executor's kind of scope of the landscape. So yeah, I think it would be very helpful that way. Yeah, I think, you know, having that time and the options to talk about things while you still have the opportunity when someone is still coherent and lucid and when the siblings, you know, there's just so much weirdness that can come up after a funeral that's just not there prior to. What advice would you have for families that are hesitant to talk about these conversations? Get over it. You've been an executor. Right? It's, yeah. Well, let's choose your hard, you know, do you want the hard now when kind of everybody's getting along and they're, you know, if we're talking about, you know, before death and the state planning and, and, you know, and just kind of getting everybody on the same page easier to do before and everything changes after. The dynamics change, the person is gone. They kind of fed the dynamic. So the dynamics different, you know, I use the example that at its worst executive, you know, in a state administration and what ensues. Often looks like, you know, kids in the backseat of the car arguing over a toy, but there's nobody driving. There's nobody in the front seat anymore. So you're careening towards a cliff and you'd better get it worked out because, you know, it can get, it can get ugly. It can get not pretty. And, you know, you have to start with the end in mind. And how do you want. This to end and continue as you go forward in life. You know, not to get all deep and, and, and so and such, but I think that's important to consider before. And, you know, it's an elephant in the room. It's hard to wrestle with but choose your heart. It's hard, but it's not as hard, right? And you still have options. 1 thing that I want to point out is that we use the term executor a lot. Obviously, it's in the name of your business, but this would apply to. The personal representative, the administrator, and possibly trustees that are also dealing with a similar situation. And I think it really boils down to leadership. The the executor may not want to be a leader. They may want to defer to the other siblings or whatever, but to. The buck stops here, like, if, you know, you've been appointed and you've sworn in as the executor, take that leadership position and it's not always fun and it's not always popular, but it is it is, it's a good thing to I mean, it's you're honoring the person that you're standing in for and, it's hard, but so correct. And as for yes, this is that includes personal representatives and trustees. A lot of this content applies to the those categories as well. However personal represent Torium dot com just doesn't quite sound as good. So I'm sorry. Yeah, no, you got it. So leadership is key and and there's different types of leadership. You know, this is what we're doing and, you know, damn it. Torpedoes full speed ahead may have worked for John Paul Jones, but probably not going to work in the state administration context with your family standing by you know, you have to read the room. Yeah, I think that's really important. And again, you want to start with the finish in mind. You know, if you're really going to. Take off your brother with certain things. That's context. Does will transparency help? Yes. Will communication help? Yes. We'll doing everything they tell you to do help. No, it's leadership. You know, you have to advise, get consensus, move forward, get advice from professionals and do the best job you can and get through it in a healthy way. right? I think you can come out better on the other side because of, because of the steps that you've got. I think you can come out worse on the other side, but my goal is to help people to come out better on the other side. And as a person, you know, the skills that you'll develop as you take this leadership position and go through it, but your people skills all of that, your communication skills can all improve. Do you see some new services being offered to executives and personal executors? And personal representatives on the horizon, they need that look exciting to you. Yes. And it's 1 of those where I am very bitter and angry that some of these things weren't there when I was an executor. Not too bitter, not too angry, but you know, just like for crying out loud, where was artifacts, where was artifacts when I was going through all these boxes and needed, you know, input from, you know, my family members about what was this and what was that, you know, where. You know, why did I not know about mediation the concierge aspect to the professionals of after law services categories, those, you know, people that will help you navigate this, there are, you know, platforms for helping to you know, organize so there's, there is a lot of different things that are, that are coming to light. And, you know, I just. I really look forward to learning about all of them and bringing them to the fore and creating awareness about them. As far as naming any and specifically, it's really just the kind of the confluence as I build my inventory of knowledge and I learn about them, I will shoot them out through executorium as quickly as I can, because it can only, it can only help. Yeah. Yeah, and I think this this day and age, people are more aware of what this work life balance is and the importance of mental health and taking care of yourself and the value of our personal time. And so I think we're before people were would just take on the role and just sludge through it. And now people are. Of the mindset more and more that you know what I don't have to do it all I can delegate some of this stuff and be just fine. I don't have to be the control freak over it. I think that's good. Yeah. No, I'm the, I'm the drudge. I'm a bit of a bit of an idiot when it comes to that. Don't be like me. Yes, keep keep your health in mind and your work. You know, your life balance and don't. Don't trudge. Ask for help. Yeah. Use your resources. Delegate. Be transparent. You know, breathe. Yes. Right. All those important, all those important things. Yeah. You know, help you land on your feet a little, a little more softly and healthier. What do you like about your work? I, I feel it in my bones. I, I, I have really sunk my teeth into this. It's culmination of some big parts of, of my life that you know, I didn't see coming. It, you know, the fact that it helps people is is paramount. You know, I, I. Our estate was troubled it was hard and it was took a big chunk out of my posterior for lack. I'm a Jersey boy. You know, yeah, here I am. You know, that I can help. Correct some of that with this vision of executorium and that I'm working towards a solve 100 percent solve, but some percent solve is fulfilling. Yeah. Yeah. So if somebody is listening maybe they're a personal representative executor already. Maybe they're in hospice and they know that their time is coming and they're, they don't know what they don't know. What would you say to them to set them on the course for the next few months or in the next year. Good question. I think the answer is read everything thoroughly. I know that sounds very mundane, but you have to make a space for yourself as an executor or as a person planning for the inevitable. Those are 2 different. Pieces of work, I think to the executor create space, physical and mental for your job, this project and read everything thoroughly read everything, get your hands on and this will seem as though the executor is the answer to that, but it's what drives. Why we set this up and how we set this up. Because I think that's so very important and to see the landscape is half the battle because it's such a black box. I want to take some of that darkness out of it and shed some light on what you're facing. Last thing I would say to executors is you'll get through it, you know, it's like hell the only way through it The only way out of it is through it. So there's no avoiding it so just keep moving forward the Symbol for executorium is a is a white e and it has an arrow moving forward But it's also a house turned on its side So it's symbolic which is cute from a branding standpoint and a marketing standpoint. You know, you can take a boy out of the marketing consultancy, but you can't take a marketing consultancy out of the boys. So there you go. But that's what encompasses your season as an executor is you have a job to do. It may not be pretty, it might not be comfortable, but keep moving forward. I think your comment on it being a job and to create space mentally and physically is such a key tip to take away from this conversation, because it. Is like a part time job and it, depending on how large the estate is, it does take some time, quite a bit of time sometime. And so I think part of part of my thing is expectations and just letting people know what to expect and and pop those misconceptions that set them up for. For hiccups down the road. So I think your suggestion of creating mental and just, okay, this is what I've got to do, I'm going to buckle down. I'm going to get through it. There will be an end to this. And I need to spend time, you know, block off time on when I can work on this, when I'm sharp and when I can get things done, it is like a job. Is there something that you have on your heart that you feel like you want to talk about that that I haven't asked you a question about or that you feel like needs to be said about what you do or executorship or whatever? Well, your questions have been so thorough. I really think I've covered so much of it. I really hesitate to offer anything else. The, you know, you will get through it as a great. Is a great message and it won't always be like this. It's heavy. It's a heavy burden. It's it's a, it's a solitary burden and it's a duty. It's a responsibility. And likely the people around you will not understand you and the, the, the, the responsibility you have. And. You know, this is a, you know, kind of a grown up comment, but you know, that's something you'll have to find a way to deal with somehow. So be aware of that, I think is important to stress and you know, put one foot in front of the other and move forward again to repeat. Yeah. We don't want you to get stuck. We want you to keep moving forward. There's still life left to live and and it's good and it's exciting. And there are people like myself and you, George, who are here to help so they're not alone. I'm going to get back on my little soapbox. They may feel like they're the only ones and that they no one else is out there like them, but, but there are others and you can find community and you can find that support. And even that hope and feeling camaraderie with some other people, even if they're not in your neighborhood can help lift. Lift that burden a little bit. So George, tell us how people can find you. We're going to have things in the show notes, but there may be people that are driving or on the trail and not able to jot this down. So how can they reach you? Are you on Facebook? Instagram? Yes, we're on Facebook Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, or X, and YouTube. So we have a weekly estate talks short format video on YouTube. So we invite everyone to take a look at that covering different subjects across this. Spectrum you know, much, much in the way of, of, of your talk, Sherri and you know, designed to help and designed to provide context. Probate Podcast is you know, is, is meant to provide people with same thing executorium is doing, which is knowledge is power. You don't know what you don't know but knowing some of the things you will soon find out whether through pain or experience or both experiences what you get when you don't read the small print. We encourage you to read the small print and watch probate podcasts and estate talks and read everything you can and learn from reading the feeds of these companies that are in this space and you know, become an expert, you know. Maybe not an expert, but a less of a of a novice. Right. Okie dokie. So that wraps our episode for today. I'm so glad, George, that you were here with me. I love every time we chat, I just get so fired up over what we're doing. And when you're listening today, I just hope that you are encouraged. George and I are here to help you and your family members to get through this season. I like to streamline it. I like to remove the stress and minimize the overwhelm. And you can do that by tapping into the resources that George has at the executorium. com. Like he said, visit his podcasts, Estate Talks and find what you can on my website, willowwoodsolutions. com. And of course the Probate Podcast we're here for you and we wish you all the best. Take care. Thank you.