The Executor's Handbook

Praise for the previous editions:
"Highly recommended..."—Library Journal

A step-by-step guide to settling an estate.

Settling an estate after a loved one has passed on can be a difficult and complicated experience if you don't have the right information. The Executor's Handbook, Third Edition acts as a step-by-step guide to settling an estate for personal representatives, administrators, and beneficiaries. It provides all the information necessary to understand the role of executor, to determine if you are the right person for the job, and to carry out the various functions. From the provisions of a will to key legal terms to liquidating assets, this volume explains all the aspects of an executor's duties.

All information in this edition has been thoroughly updated and revised to cover the latest rules and procedures. Updates include the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, which revised federal gift and estate tax law, as well as all state law tables.

New and updated coverage includes:

• Death and burial benefits
• Death without a will
• First steps following death
• Funeral, burial, and cremation
• Income, estate, and inheritance taxes
• Probate administrations
• Protecting survivors
• Settling a trust
• and much more.

Theodore E. Hughes is a retired Michigan state assistant attorney general and a lawyer who specializes in wills, trusts, and estate planning. David Klein was professor emeritus of social sciences at Michigan State University.