2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
What can I expect to deal with, 2007-10-20
This book will give you insights into what to expect when "the event" occurs. It should be read before you except the responsibility. An executor is not just another job.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
Good overall knowledge, 2007-02-09
This book gives great overview but it is not a do-it-yourself book. You'll still need legal advice. Highly recommend as a read so you can be educated before speaking with a lawyer.
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Short, sweet, and to the point, 2006-05-02
After reading this book you can probably be an executor for an estate without hiring an attorney (assuming no legal documents have to be prepared or filed in court). I found this book in the reference section of the Westfield Pubic Library (NJ) along with its companion book: A Family Guide to Wills, Funerals & Probate (ISBN: 081604550X). This book was written for an executor to read, and the companion book concerned much of the same material but for the decedent to read before he or she dies.
I thought this book was great, and that it will help an executor gain a grasp of his or her responsibilities when administering and closing a decedent's estate. It is written without legal jargon. Have you ever had to administer an estate and gone to an attorney for help? Did you expect the attorney to tell you about your duties and delegate as much of the work to you as possible? And did you find the attorney did a lot of work you think you could and should have done? Well, if so, then this book probably could have helped you talk to the attorney and have more worked delegated to you.
This book is as comprehensive as it needs to be to educate an executor about his or her duties. When those duties can be complicated, the authors explain the basics so an attorney can be consulted to provide legal services. Keep in mind that many estates can be settled without any legal help being needed. Thus, I recommend an executor read this book before ever seeking an attorney for help, guidance, or services.
The edition of the book I read was hardbound and very pretty. There was an index of terms in the back of the book. However, I would have liked the book better if there had been a glossary of terms back there, too. Don't worry that the book doesn't have your state in its title. It is written so it is applicable to executors in all 50 states.
I found the book to be deficient in covering (failed to cover) the various tax forms (federal estate & income; state estate & income) that must be filed. They mention them, but I would have liked the book better if more had been written about them. Filing the tax returns is often the most complicated aspect of doing executor work. Most of the other things just take time.
35 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
A Must-Have Book For The Newly Appointed Executor, 2004-06-10
I purchased this book months ago to prepare myself for the future when I will have to handle my mother's affairs. To my absolute surprise, I have recently been appointed as administrator of my long lost cousin's estate. Yeap, he died intestate, without a will. Luckily I was just finishing this book so I had a clue what to do next.The book has already proven to be a valuable resource of information. As I go through the probate process, I am referring to it to help me along. I put Post-It note flags on the tops of certain chapters to speed up the information retrieval. The Table of Contents is well organized.
The only thing I would suggest to the authors is to put a bit more "how to" instructions into the book. For instance, I need to do a Postal change of address. The topic is well covered in the chapter "The Deceased's Mail" but it does not tell you how to locate the Post Office where he once lived. A website address would be most helpful.