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| The Executor's Guide: How to Administer an Estate Under a Will | 
 enlarge | Author: Linda Kirby
Publisher: Praeger Publishers
Category: Book
List Price: $43.95
Buy New: $35.16
You Save: $8.79 (20%)
Buy New/Used from $26.45
Avg. Customer Rating:  (1 reviews)
Sales Rank: 207502
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3
ISBN: 0275982033
Dewey Decimal Number: 346.73052
EAN: 9780275982034
ASIN: 0275982033
Publication Date: May 30, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
You have been named the executor of a will by a friend or family member. Are you prepared to meet the challenge and do you know how to avoid personal liability? Thousands of individuals each year face the daunting and often painful task of settling the estate of a loved one, and even with professional guidance from attorneys, accountants, and financial advisors, they are often ill-equipped to deal with many of the tasks necessary to manage and settle an estate--and may put themselves at serious financial risk. The Executor's Guide is the definitive instruction manual for anyone administering an estate under a will. Featuring step-by-step instructions, worksheets, checklists, and timetables, The Executor's Guide takes the reader through the entire process-from the time of death to the final closing of the estate. The Executor's Guide explains the full range of roles and responsibilities of the executor, including reading the will, hiring and supervising the attorney, dealing with court proceedings, notifying those who are entitled to property, finding and valuing assets, settling with creditors, filing taxes, and distributing the assets. Unique and highly practical elements include a comprehensive Summary of Assets (from "Annuities" to "Videos"), a glossary of essential terms, and a series of key questions to ask your attorney. Written in highly accessible language by an expert in the field, The Executor's Guide is at once authoritative and user-friendly--an essential resource for any family.
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| Customer Reviews:
One of the best Estate Administraton & Settlement books available to executors and trustees that I have read. And I've read many July 6, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Wow, what a book! I loved it. I'm in the process of putting together an executor coaching company and as a result I am reading every book I can find on the subject of estate administration and settlement. This book is one of the few that is pretty comprehensive, well written and outlined, and downright informative. You will find explanations and help in the following areas if you get this book:
>>Checklists for executors
>>Decedent's Estate
>>Disclaimers
>>Estate administration
>>Estate settlement
>>Executor
>>Fiduciary duty
>>Funerals
>>Intestacy
>>Personal representative
>>Probate
>>Tax form preparation
>>Tax law
>>Taxable Estate
>>Trustee
>>Wills & trusts
You won't find help in hiring a lawyer or accountant in this book. But what you will learn from this book is information you should want to know if you decide to hire either an attorney or CPA. An educated consumer is the best kind of client to a professional.
This book is 321 pages long including the index of terms at the back. However, the main body of the book is only 155 pages. The text size is small and the line spacing is tight and the margins are half inch. Therefore, you are not being cheated by the somewhat steep retail price this book sells for. There is a lot of information packed into the numerous appendices. And there is a glossary of terms that starts at page 307 which is pretty good.
I highly recommend you examine the Search Inside material Amazon offers on this book for free. You can see for yourself what the book covers by taking a look at the detailed Table of Contents. Chapter 10 on taxes is the best overview of the subject I have seen in any estate administration book sold to the masses. And the checklists included in the main body of the book and the appendices are worth their weight in gold. Each chapter ends with its own checklist.
My only gripe with this book was how the author continuously preached that the involvement of an estate attorney is essential. As you can see from the above list, there is not much that really involves legal counsel. The only thing that arguably is the practice of law is using the Probate Court to help administer the probate estate. And it should be noted that the decedent's estate is not necessarily the same as the probate estate or the taxable estate. Estate adminstration involves much more than just probate. But the list of mandatory attorney duties at page 34 is much longer than I think it should have been. Basically she says the attorney does everything. In my humble opinion it doesn't have to be that way.
I would have liked the book much better if the author had just put a disclaimer at the front of the book (which she failed to do) and not kept telling me that I should seek the help of an attorney on most matters that she explains quite well on the written page. We all know this book is not a substitute for legal or accounting advice. But it sure does a good job of providing most of what you will hear should you seek advice from either of those professionals. 5 stars!
PS. Regarding the tax forms referred to in Chapter 10, find and download them (and their related instruction sheets) for free from the IRS Web site.
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