Death education for the living

Most people prepare documents. Few prepare people.

Executor School is a practical Canadian education program that helps estate owners, executors, and their loved ones better understand the realities of executorship.

Whether you're planning ahead or responding to a recent life event, you'll gain the knowledge, tools, and confidence to make informed decisions throughout the executorship journey.

Why this matters

Accepting the role of executor carries significant responsibility. Think of it as death project management with legal and financial consequences. Yet most people accept the role with little understanding of what it involves, and many estate owners never have a meaningful conversation with the person they've chosen.

It's easy to see why. We prepare wills, make legal appointments, and sign documents, but very few of us are taught what happens next.

Executor School was created to bridge that gap.

Understanding executorship helps you:

• prepare more effectively

• communicate more clearly

• make decisions with greater confidence

Whether you're planning your own estate or preparing to administer someone else's, a little preparation today can make a meaningful difference tomorrow.

What you'll gain

Understanding executorship helps you:

  • Reduce work and rework through better planning and delegation.

  • Improve documentation, record keeping, and organization.

  • Communicate more clearly with beneficiaries and other stakeholders.

  • Make better use of lawyers, accountants, and other professionals.

  • Make more informed decisions as an estate owner or executor.

How Executor School works

Four practical modules, from preparation to estate administration.

Along the way, you'll complete workbook activities, apply what you're learning to your own situation, and build practical resources you can refer back to whenever you need them.

module 1

Introduction to Wills & Executorship

Build a strong foundation. Learn key terminology, explore wills from both the planning and administration side, and begin to understand the roles of estate owner and executor.

module 2

What it Means To Be a Good Executor

Explore the roles and responsibilities connected to executorship, and learn how estate owners and executors can prepare, communicate, and work together more effectively.

module 3

You’re an Executor…Now What?!

Explore the practical realities of executorship, including obligations, boundaries of authority, common risks, and how to make informed decisions about what to do, what to delegate, and when to get help.

module 4

The Executorship Task List

Bring everything together with a practical roadmap for estate owners and executors. Review what to do, what order to do it in, and how to stay organized from planning ahead through estate administration.

Choose your experience

Three formats. One curriculum. The difference is how much support you want.

Every option is built around the same four modules and practical workbook activities. Pick the learning experience that best fits how you like to work.

Virtual In-Person

Executor School VIP

Our most comprehensive learning experience.

$897 +GST

Live cohort · runs 3× per year

includes

  • Four live, 2-hour facilitated sessions

  • All associated workbooks and resources

  • One 60-minute Executorship Advisory Session

  • One year of Community of Practice membership, including Community Hour Live, biweekly coaching calls, recordings, and new or updated resources

ideal for you IF YOU

  • appreciate the accountability of a scheduled class

  • benefit from asking questions and receiving immediate feedback

  • enjoy learning through discussion and the experiences of others

  • value dedicated one-on-one guidance as part of your journey

online + support

Executor School Online + Support

Flexible learning with ongoing support.

$797 +GST

includes

  • Self-paced online course

  • All associated workbooks and resources

  • Six months of Community of Practice membership, including Community Hour Live, biweekly coaching calls, recordings, and new or updated resources

ideal for you IF YOU

  • need the flexibility to learn at your own pace

  • still want opportunities to ask questions and learn alongside others

  • appreciate ongoing access to coaching, resources, and the Community of Practice

online

Executor School Online

Independent learning at your own pace.

$597 +GST

includes

  • Six months of access to the self-paced online course

  • All associated workbooks and resources

ideal for you IF YOU

  • are comfortable working through the material independently

  • prefer to learn on your own schedule

  • want an independent, self-paced learning experience

still not sure?

Let’s find the right fit together.

If you’re not sure which option is right for you, that's okay. Book a free 30-minute Discovery Call. We'll discuss your situation, answer any questions about the program, and help you decide what makes the most sense for you.

If you register and later discover you'd benefit from more support, we can discuss transferring you to a different learning option. Our goal is to help you choose the experience that best supports your learning.

Why should I go to Executor School?

At Executor School we don’t believe in shoulds. Go to Executor School because you want to.

● You want to do a good job for the person who asked you to take on this role.

● You want to know how to get the job done efficiently so you can get on with living your life.

● You want to know how to prioritize, delegate, and communicate properly as an executor.

● You want to make this job easier on yourself and on those who are impacted by it.

● You want to avoid making mistakes that could land you in legal and financial trouble.

● You want to stop wasting time trying to figure this executor thing out on your own.

What will I learn in Executor School?

You will learn how to be the best darned executor you can be!

And you will learn how to set up your own estate and equip your own executor-in-waiting to make it easier to close out your own life. When the time comes, of course.

Who should attend Executor School?

Current executors, executors-in-waiting, and estate owners looking to choose or to help their own executor are our ideal learners.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve already been an executor, are currently an executor, are expecting to be one soon, or hope to dodge that proverbial bullet (death or executorship!), this education is for you!

Is Executor School just for Executors?

Nope. Because let’s face it – everyone dies.

Executor School can help anyone who would like to not leave a mess behind when they shuffle off their mortal coil. Why not build a better departure plan to help your own Executor and others you leave behind?

Will going to Executor School help me avoid legal and financial trouble?

Hopefully! By applying what you learn at Executor School, you should be able to avoid making mistakes that get you into legal or financial hot water.

Executor School gives you the knowledge you need to make good, informed decisions that minimize risk to the estate and to you, the executor.

But we cannot control the behaviours of others, so we can’t promise you people won’t get weird because you’re doing a good job at being the executor. Sorry.

I am already an Executor. Is it too late for me to go to Executor School?

Absolutely not.

Regardless of what stage you are in the role, these classes are meant to equip you, to fill in any knowledge gaps, and provide more guidance than perhaps you’ve had in the past. Most executors don’t get any instruction at all. Let us help you navigate from wherever you are in the process.

I don’t know when I’ll become an Executor. When is the best time to enroll?

Any time is a good time to become death literate.

We are never guaranteed tomorrow. Whether you are thinking of attending as an estate owner, as a potential executor, or you’re just plain curious, the knowledge you gain will be useful, I promise. There is no better time than today to begin.

Why should I spend money on Executor School?

You know what they say – spend money to save money!

When you take the time to learn about the role of executorship, and to plan how to close out a life, you are equipping yourself to make better decisions. Making informed decisions can potentially save you time, energy, headache, heartache, and money.

● Knowing how to prepare for and what questions to ask the lawyer or accountant can save the estate paying for unnecessary billable hours. And save you from wasting time in meetings you don’t need.

● Knowing what order to do executor tasks in can avoid having to pay for unneeded products and services. It can also ensure you are hiring the appropriate people to delegate tasks to, also saving money.

● Knowing how and when to communicate, and to whom, can save you from legal fees related to privacy breaches or uniformed, unhappy beneficiaries.

Can I just hire you as my Executor?

Perhaps. Anyone who wants me as their executor has to take my training first, however! I need them to know what they are asking an executor to do.

We also do our best to connect you with with good people in your area who can take on some of the work for you, if that’s really what you want.

Where is this magical place you call Executor School?

We are based out of Canada, and our learning is focused on Canadian tax and estate laws, taxation, and other governmental requirements.

We have virtual and online cohorts, so you can join from anywhere. There is no brick & mortar school currently, as we want to support all executors, regardless of where they live.

Self-directed online learning is great for working through the modules at your own pace, especially if committing to a specific classroom time won’t work for you.

Live virtual learning is for those who prefer small group learning with an instructor who can answer questions in real time. This is a more interactive learning experience, with discussion, guided instruction, and opportunities to learn alongside others.

meet the founder

Gina Vliet, BA, CEA

Gina is the founder of Executor School and Charon Consulting. She is a Certified Executor Advisor, educator, and facilitator who helps people understand executorship, end-of-life planning, and the practical realities most people are expected to figure out on the fly.

With education and experience in funeral services preplanning, instructional design, and facilitation, Gina takes a practical, plain-language approach to topics that are often misunderstood, avoided, or left until crisis hits. She helps people ask better questions, make informed decisions, and feel more prepared for the realities of death, dying, and whatever comes next.

Since founding Charon Consulting in 2018, Gina has been featured on CBC, in the University of Alberta’s New Trail magazine, and has presented at Nerd Nite Edmonton. She has also hosted more than 60 Death Cafés, and contributed to the creation of Compassionate Alberta, a province-wide initiative to raise awareness of palliative care and advance care planning.

Think of her as your friendly neighbourhood death educator, with a practical bent and a healthy respect for the realities of executorship.

Executor School is a Canadian-based education program that can help you reduce time, energy, and costs by getting you prepared to ask good questions, locate practical resources, and make well informed decisions about end-of-life planning.

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