Author
James Whitfield
Researcher and sole author, Estate Affidavit Guide.
Why this site exists
I started this work after helping a family member settle a parent's estate — a modest checking account and an old car, well under the state's small-estate statutory cap. The state's own form was clear about the fields; useless about the process. The bank's branch staff twice insisted we needed court-issued "Letters of Administration" before they'd release the funds, which the statute didn't actually require. Resolving it took three branch visits and an escalation to a regional manager, in the same weeks we were arranging a funeral. Nothing I could find explained what to do when the person across the counter is confidently wrong about the law. I built this to be that missing layer.
Not every family handling this can walk into a branch, either — plenty are doing it from another state, coordinating entirely by phone, mail, and email. The presentation script in each kit is written for that caller specifically: someone who needs to sound and be correct on the phone, with no one local to hand the problem to.
Scope
I read state probate codes and small-estate statutes and publish plain-English operational guides for two instruments: the small estate affidavit (personal property and financial accounts, capped by a statutory dollar ceiling) and the affidavit of heirship (establishing heirship, most often for real property title, with no dollar cap). My scope is narrow on purpose: the statutory thresholds, the official form where one exists, the bank/DMV/title-company presentation playbook, and the statutory waiting period each state imposes after death. Every state guide is built directly from that state's own probate code text, tracked against its review cadence described on the editorial process page — not summarized from a third party. These guides are written for anyone working through that process — families doing it themselves, and paralegals, notaries, and other non-attorney preparers handling it for clients.
I am not an attorney. I do not advise on individual situations. I do not draft affidavit instruments. When a buyer's question is about their specific situation, my answer is always the same: consult a licensed attorney in your state, ideally through your state bar's lawyer referral service.
Editorial posture
I keep a low public profile on purpose. No social media accounts under this name, no podcast appearances, no phone interviews. Estate Affidavit Guide is a research publication, not a personal brand — the state probate codes are the authority, and my job is to synthesize and translate them, not to be the authority myself. The byline is consistent across every page, email, and support reply, because consistency is the honest signal a single-author publisher can give. There's no headshot here, either — deliberately. I work anonymously; the citations on every page are what should earn your trust, not a photo.
What I won't do
- Customize a kit based on a buyer's family situation.
- Tell a buyer whether their estate qualifies — I show the statutory line, they compare their own facts.
- Give advice over phone, chat, or email about an individual situation.
- Make claims that are not directly supported by a statute citation.
Contact
Email support@estateaffidavitguide.com for product, refund, or correction questions. See the editorial process page for sourcing standards and review cadence.