Estate Executor

If you have never served as an executor of a will, then you probably have no idea what your official duties are in the first moments and days following the person’s death.   Executor’s Role Directly After a Death There is a legal answer to that question – you have none. That is because you are not yet the executor.  An executor is a court-created role. You are not an executor until...

Estate Administration Swimming with the Sharks Chances are fairly good that you will, at some time or another, serve as an independent executor of an estate. Your chances increase exponentially if you are married (spouses are customarily named in a will as executor) or are an only child. Being an independent executor is a fairly easy gig if you also happen to be the sole beneficiary and there is no conflict with other...

  Here is how to lose your grandmother's 4.15 carat marquise cut diamond ring to your former wife. First, when your grandmother dies, become the administrator of her estate. Second, pull your grandmother’s very valuable diamond ring from the custodian account in a New York bank and have it sent to you. Do this even though you have not settled the entire estate, and you are not the only beneficiary entitled to...

Happily for executors everywhere in our wonderful state of Texas the law against involuntary servitude is still in place. That means you are entitled to be paid for your service as an executor. How much? Grab a cup of coffee and prepare to settle in – the answer is not so simple. A well-drafted will usually has a paragraph about compensation. It may be hourly, a flat fee, a percentage of...