Theodore E. Hughes and David Klein. The Executor's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Settling an Estate for Personal Representatives, Administrators, and Beneficiaries. (Checkmark Books, New York, N.Y. 2001)

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An executor is a person designated in a will to see that the deceased's last wishes are carried out and to settle the deceased's probate estate. Perhaps someone has nominated you to be their executor, you are considering an offer to take on this role, or you would like to make things as easy as possible for your own executor. Whatever the case, this guide will help you understand the role of executor, decide if you are the right person for the job, and chart the best course of action during a difficult time.

The Executor's Handbook, written by a Michigan assistant attorney general and a professor emeritus, covers: the steps that can be taken before death to make the executor's task easier, matters that must be addressed soon after death occurs, how to search for assets in a deceased's estate, strategies for avoiding or minimizing probate, and the payment of state and federal taxes on behalf of the deceased. The book includes more than 15 tables and figures, many of them handy charts of state laws that govern the handling of a decedent's estate. Also included are sample documents such as a durable power of attorney and a living will.