Executor's Guide, The

Settling a Loved One's Estate or Trust

Mary Randolph,Jennie Lin

• Publisher: NOLO
• Year: 2024
• ISBN:
  9781413331752
• Edition: 10
• Topic: Law
• Subtopic: Estates & Trusts Law
• Index: Law

The step-by-step guide to serving as an executor, trustee, or estate representative

If you need to wrap up the affairs of a loved one who has died, you may feel overwhelmed—especially when you're grieving. But you can do it, and this book will show you how.

The Executor's Guide provides a clear road map through an unfamiliar land of legal procedures and terminology. You'll learn what to do right away and what can wait. Find help on:

• preparing for the job of executor or trustee

• the first steps you should take after a loved one dies

• claiming life insurance, Social Security, and other benefits

• making sense of a will, and what to do if there is no will

• how to determine whether probate is necessary

• filing taxes

• managing assets inherited by a minor child

• probate court proceedings

• handling simple trusts, and

• working with lawyers, appraisers, accountants, and other experts.

The 10th edition of The Executor's Guide contains updated tables that outline the key points of each state's laws. It also provides the latest information on estate tax laws.

With Downloadable Worksheets:
download and customize worksheets detailing information executors need to get organized, including an inventory of assets and debts (details inside).

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• Part I: Getting Ready
• The Executor’s Legal Companion
• 1. Overview
• 2. If You’re Asked to Be an Executor
• Part II: First Steps
• 3. The First Week
• 4. The First Month
• 5. Claiming Life Insurance, Social Security, and Other Benefits
• Part III: Taking Care of the Estate
• 6. Making Sense of the Will
• 7. When There’s No Will
• 8. Taking Inventory
• 9. Managing Assets and Paying Bills
• 10. Caring for Children and Their Property
• 11. Taxes
• Part IV: Transferring Property
• 12. Property That Doesn’t Go Through Probate
• 13. Transferring Joint Tenancy and Other Survivorship Property
• 14. Transferring Community Property
• 15. Claiming Money in Retirement Plans
• 16. Claiming Payable-on-Death Assets
• 17. Special Procedures for Small Estates
• 18. The Regular Probate Process
• Getting More Help
• 19. Finding More Information
• 20. Lawyers and Other Experts
• Glossary
• Appendix A: State Information
• Appendix B: How to Use the Downloadable Forms on the Nolo Website
• Index
• Book Registration