Being an Executor can be a lonely and overwhelming job. I am breaking the silence on this topic and bringing to light the things we should all know!
With over a decade in the accounting world working with hundreds of grieving families, Debbie was plagued by her clients' needs regarding estate administration. Every day, she faced the frustration of families trying to resolve estates without fully understanding what lay before them. Debbie felt the call to clarify this process for Canadians, from comprehending the mountains of paperwork to even the simple things like closing a loved one's social media presence. In 2017, Debbie founded ETP Canada; in 2022, Debbie founded an online video course across Canada called Executor Ready. Debbie's vision for making the estate process easier for families has led her to offer herself as being named a client’s executor personally, leaving families with options for using someone with experience.
In 2022, she was awarded the Rhyze Award in the Scalable Business Stream by Innovation Guelph, recognizing local female entrepreneurs who exemplify ingenuity, passion, and perseverance.
Debbie's passion for helping others shows in her business and personal life. She is a Rotary Member in the Guelph Trillium Chapter; she was a “star” for Dancing with the Stars for Easter Seals and was honored as a Women of Influence by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. Debbie is also a column writer for MoneySense, a segment guest on the Avoid Probate Show on Zoomer Radio, and featured in such publications as the Globe & Mail and the Toronto Star.
On the home front, Debbie is married; she is a Labrador Retriever lover and the mother of two incredible young women.
What People Are Saying
"Managing an estate is challenging for many reasons, and the last thing you want to be worrying about is if you're even doing it the right way. Debbie takes that worrying out of the equation. I've never had any reason to doubt her judgement, she really knows what she's doing. Her communication skills are excellent, she'll always keep you in the loop and check in with updates when things are moving slowly. As an executor, you'll be dealing with a lot of bankers, financial advisors, lawyers and accountants throughout the process. Debbie holds all of them accountable and you can tell she cares about everything being done properly, but also as quickly as possible. Closing an estate can take years to complete, and Debbie does her best to move things along at a good pace so you never feel stuck. I was the main executor for my mom's estate, and my grandfather's. I lost them both within one year while I was in my early twenties. It's been 4 years since then, and the main reason it's nearly done is because of Debbie. I honestly don't know what I would have done without her guidance."
— Daniel from Toronto, Ontario
“We came to Debbie with mounds of papers and no clue as to how to make sense of it all. We were exhausted and depressed from having been primary caregivers for four family members, including our daughter, throughout all of the end of life events and sorrows. Debbie was sensitive to my need to get this done quickly as I truly believe I would have had a total breakdown had it dragged on for too long. She worked weekends and she pulled in legal advice and specialized accounting services to resolve this in a timely manner. She handled all of the communications with my siblings and kept it all professionally accurate and clean. She managed to be reassuring and considerate yet maintain her skilled approach. I’ll never know how she ever pulled together the accounts with the mess that I handed her . Debbie did not hesitate to reach out to other professionals when required and did not put it back on me to find these resources. She never made me feel inadequate or judged and was always clear about what needed to be done to complete the estate accounts.”
— Joan from London, Ontario
“I have had the pleasure of working with Debbie for both my professional and personal business needs and have laid the ground work with her to continue that relationship well into my future retirement and estate needs. She always makes time to take my call or answer any questions that may arise. She is detailed in explaining things and works through to a resolution no matter what the situation.”
— Sandi from Guelph, Ontario
“I have had the privilege of working with Debbie Stanley for a number of years now and in this time she has shown time and time again what an amazing work ethic she has. Debbie is always professional, proficient and knowledgeable in any work we have done together and she truly cares about her clients. This has always been evident by how happy they are with her services.”