Executor Books

This book is an excellent resource for anyone who works with securities or in the financial industry. I work in with a large financial services provider in Operations and this book has been used as a bible for most of our account registration and legal questions regarding how accounts and securities should be properly titled in addition to providing information about what paperwork is needed for estates, custodianships, corporate entities, etc. I cannot sing of it praises enough.

This is a workbook-for both those comtemplating death or planning for it as an eventuality. It is also an instructional book on various methods of dealing with property so that one's wishes are fulfilled after death. Even young adults should have this to help parents or friends deal with loved ones with fatal or potential fatal diseases.

The author is an extremely experienced tax preparer who has encountered clients who have suffered through the trials of being an executor. This book will help those creating a will as well as those who have already been named as executor. Legal pitfalls, timelines for expected execution, traps from disgruntled heirs, tax code areas and many other problems are discussed. No situation is without problems, but this book will go a long way in preventing sleepless nights of those with the legal and fiduciary responsibility created by a will.

If you are going to be an executor or someone who has just died has named you to be an executor, then this book is for you. It is not a treatise on the subject, but it summarizes the basics regarding the tasks and responsibility you will be charged with when being an executor. Such tasks and responsibilities include tax, accounting and ministerial functions.

This book is comprised of 12 chapters:

1. Ease into Your Role as Executor
2. Take Charge after Death Certificate is Issued
3. Get Your Letters Testamentary
4. Administer the Estate Independently
5. Inventory and Appraisement
6. Estate Tax Form 706
7. Calculating the Gross Estate
8. Taking All Tax Deductions Allowed
9. The Marital Tax Deduction
10. Recapitulation and Tax
11. Fiduciary Tax Form 1041
12. Settle the Estate; Closing Matters

I particularly liked the following excerpt taken from the book's introduction:

"Too often, the role importance of an executor is misunderstood. The will-appointed person rushes off to an attorney, and dumps everything in the attorney's lap. This is a shirking of duty. It is also a gross error in judgment and a costly mistake."

This book is written so the reader will not shirk her dirty or make a gross error in judgment or a costly mistake. It talks about reading a will, doing what one must do to be granted Letters Testamentary, gather together the estate's assets, fill out the proper tax returns, make distributions to creditors and beneficiaries, and close the estate. The theory of the various tax returns are discussed here like I have seen in no other book covering the subject. Splendid job.

I would have liked the book better if there was a terms index in the back of the book. And I think the book would have been better if there had been an introductory chapter that overviewed the whole book and its subject matter.

In Chapter 2 there was a reference made to visit your public library to examine a copy of your state's Probate Code. I'm not sure this is practical advise in all states.

I particularly liked the summaries at the beginning of each chapter. And I liked the page numbering so it was easy to flip from chapter to chapter, ie. 1-1, 2-1, 3-1, etc.

With this book you should be armed to visit your county law library and be able to get whatever other information you see necessary to handle your duty as executor. This book cannot cover everything - so don't expect it to do so. But it is a worthwhile book to read. 5 stars!

A great introductory book for the layman; it takes complicated subject matter and explains it in terms that the average person can understand. As a trust professional, I have recommended it to many of my customers

Alexander Bove has written a wonderful, comprehensive resource filled with case studies. He applies his common sense and practical advice (and witty sense of humour) to make the complex subjects of estate tax and probate comprehensible. His many years as a top estate planning attorney shine through. Reading this prior to making an appointment with your estate planning attorney will make that meeting more productive because prior to the meeting you will understand more about your choices.

Book is very comprehensive but it is a long and somewhat boring read. Of course, when you are talking about death and taxes how do you make it interesting? Thank goodness for the use of real live examples to liven up the text. Was hoping for identification of strategies for married couples with different ranges of net worth ($600K to $1.2M range, $1.2M to $5M range, and over $5M). Did not find these strategies easily by reading the book. Book is written in terms the laymen can understand. Since many of us will be executors of estates someday it is useful information. Book does help explain many of the aspects to consider when planning your estate. Good reference on basics of estate planning.

If you are like me and find that any discussions of a financial or legal nature make you feel stupid or scared, then this book will put you at ease immediately. At a time when grief interferes with comprehension and yet when you MUST be able to perform the duties of executorship capably, this is THE book to help you. It takes you step by step calmly in plain language. All duties which an executor has to be familiar with are covered comprehensively yet in a manner that is down to earth. All legal terms that are not fully explained in the text of the book are explained in even more detail in the excellent glossary at the back of the book. Without being facetious, The book could also be called" Executorship for Dummies." It is THAT easy to follow and use.

This book is very helpful and gave a lot of information we needed. We would buy it again.

I thought the book was great and very informing. I will read it every night and day for the rest of my life. I love William very much I wish he was still around now so I could meet him.

I don't really have a whole lot to say about the book itself, I just though I would let potential buyers know that the book does contain a facsimile of the first quarto of Hamlet, as well as background and commentary. So unless you have trouble reading the antiquated type face, don't buy an "edited" version of Q1 when you get the original here.

This book will help you cut the stress of downsizing your life or settling an estate in half or more with its no-nonsense, clearly defined step-by-step suggestions for organizing, evaluating and dispensing property. Legal, tax and other tips highlighted throughout, as well as useful anecdotes of mistakes made and how to avoid them. Learn how, when and where to sell everything, and explore options for what's left. (Who knew you could sell natural fiber to scrapyards?)

I love that he provides questions to qualify the many professionals you may need to hire to ensure that they're working for you. Also his advice on how to navigate the sea of outstretched hands that suddenly appear is most helpful, especially for those who tend to cave to guilt. Estate sales, auctions, swap meets, consignment shops, garage sales and much more are discussed by an obviously discerning insider.

I never saw Inspector Collector on HGTV, so am not familiar with Rinker beyond this book, but I am from the PA Dutch country near where he's located and do appreciate getting what I pay for. I would recommend Sell, Keep or Toss to anyone who whether by choice or circumstance is facing a transition that requires unloading personal property.

This book was very helpful when deciding how to downsize for my parents. The book is organized well and gives tips to consider when the task is overwhelming. The book includes checklists, time frames for disposing items, facts that executers need to know, pricing guidelines, estate sale information, laws, etc.
This book was easy to follow and made my executer role much easier.

If you have just become the executor of your loved one's estate, let me say that I am so sorry for your loss. This book helped me get from the funeral to final settlement for my father's estate. Randolph filled this book with easy to understand descriptions, sample letters and checklists to keep you on target -- what to do first, second, third and so one.

Executor' Guide is intended to be a general guide for all 50 states so it doesn't address every state's individual laws. You may still need a local attorney to advise you on specifics for your area. There is still a lot you can do on your own. This book guides you through it.

The good news is that contrary to the review about the "e-edition", the Kindle edition is NOT formatted in 2 columns. That review may have referred to the PDF file version one can buy from Nolo or Amazon, and the 2 column format of those is indeed extremely annoying.

The bad news is that the Kindle edition is possibly a faulty conversion from PDF, which Kindle conversion does not do at all well. The result is a table of contents that doesn't go where one expects, and generally problematic formatting and hyperlinks. It also doesn't always change type size correctly.

The other bad news is that this is the 2006 2nd edition: the 3rd is the current paper edition. This is another case of a high priced Kindle edition that has problems and is out of date to boot.

That said, if you are working on estate plans or a new will or anticipating serving as executor in future, this book will give you an excellent idea of what you'll be faced with and have to do. But when the time comes, get the current edition in paper.

PA state inhertince tax book tells you everything in this book for free and it is available for download from the state. I wish I had not bought the book.

This book was informative and served as a good guide for getting started on settling an estate. It also was easy to understand.

I think this book is wonderful. It is packed with content. And it's very informative. However, I wasn't particularly impressed with its organization. There are many books that could be written to help an executor do his or her job in adminstering and settling a decedent's estate, among them would be the following titles:

EXECUTOR DUTIES
1. An executor's guide about an executor's role, responsibilities, and fiduciary duty
2. An executor's guide on what to do when the decedent dies
3. An executor's guide to what constitutes the unauthorized practice of law
4. An executor's guide to estate property
5. An executor's guide to estate liabilities
6. An executor's guide to professionals who help in the administration of an estate
7. An executor's guide to services offered and performed by estate attorneys
8. An executor's guide to settling a trust (if the executor is a trustee)

THE LAW
9. An executor's guide on how to read a will
10. An executor's guide to the laws of intestacy
11. An executor's guide to probate procedure
12. An executor's guide to guardianship law
13. An executor's guide to disclaimers for post-death estate planning
14. An executor's guide to Louisiana custom, law, and procedure regarding an executor's duties

TAXES
15. An executor's guide to federal estate taxes
16. Case studies: Completed Federal Estate Tax Forms
17. An executor's guide to state inheritance taxes
18. Case Studies: Completed State Inheritance Tax Forms
19. An executor's guide to generation skipping taxes
20. Case studies: Completed Generation Skipping Tax Forms
21. An executor's guide to income taxes
22. Case studies: Completed Income Tax Forms

The instant book being reviewed was close to 500 pages long. Each one of the suggested books above could easily be 500+ pages long if written well and completely. In fact, #s 10 and 11 could be done for each state and probably be 500+ pages each. The point is, that for the instant book being reviewed to get a 5-star rating it has to be well organized so it can act as a springboard for the reader into other resources. In my humble opinion, this book does not force the reader to quickly and easily grasp the material presented. Accordingly, I have bumped down its star rating. But don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself. Does the book cover the 22 topics listed herein above in a clear and organized manner?

This book totes itself as an "excutor's" guide. But I think it is better defined as an adminstration and settlement guide for executors AND TRUSTEES. Thus, I would change the title a bit to make it more representative of what the book covers.

I think Part I (Getting Ready) along with chapters 3 (The First Week), 4 (The First Month), and 9 (Managing Money & Paying Bills) should be moved to the end of the book and renamed Appendix A. And I think the title of the new Appendix A should be "Roles, Responsibilities, & Fiduciary Duty." I would move chapters 6 and 7 to the end of the book and call them Appendix B. Reading a Will is something an executor must do, but it is ancillary to his or her roles, responsibilities, and fiduciary duty. And I think Part IV (Getting More Help) should be made Appendix C. The current Appendix A should be renamed Appendix D.

I think the middle of the book should be reordered as follows:

8. Taking inventory
>>5. Life Ins, SS, & other benefits
>>15. Retirement plans
>>16. POD assets
>>13. Survivorship property
>>14. Community property
12. Property that doesn't go through probate
18. The regular probate process
17. Special procedures for small estates
11. Taxes

I'm not sure where Chapter 10 belongs? It seems to be just thrown into the middle of the book. I think it should at least have been positioned somewhere close to Chapter 20 (Managing a Child's Trust). 4 stars!

This might be a good book if you're Trustee of a multi-million dollar estate, with multiple stocks, million-dollar properties, and yachts. It was not useful for my situation, which I couldn't determine from the description and reviews. If the estate is that complicated and that much money is involved, I'd get an attorney. It would be worth it.

This book gives you the know how in calling out bully trust officer activities. Buying this book will help you leave your ignorance at the doorstep.

This book was the best informative periodical I could find on the subject of dealing with Trusts. It saved me a lot of grief when issues arose and I needed to address the probate court. This is a terrific guide

This is oriented to trusts in general, while I needed information on special needs trusts (SNT). A separate section detailing differences between SNTs and other trusts would have been useful. For those things that are common between SNT and other types of trusts, this provided good coverage.

re If you are a Bencifiary, Executor of a trust, and a Trustee, or, any combination thereof.

THIS BOOK WILL SAVE YOU ALOT OF FRUSTRATION, time, and money with attorneys. Because this book, tells you what they "Attorney's" ( and in this case I mean 'ALL' Attorney's) won't tell you. It also gives good references to follow up resources.

Get a current "Compact Edition of Trust Law" for your state Probate, at the same time you get this book. It will be the best way to know your states probate proceedings specifics.

If you are hesitant to spend money for this book, just do a Search Inside, and go to Chapter 3, Page 2-4, Be Aware of Covetous Attorneys. <--- Read this twice. YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS.

You need to know why attorney's are creating a situation to support coaxing you to believe, you need a Trust Officer, Co-Trustee.

This book will tell you, that attorneys' know the statue allows them to receive payment of 2% of the trust/estate every year when it is over 1 million dollars.

This book will tell you, having an outside trust accountant is not infallible. And YOU, as Trustee, are still held accountable, if your co-trustee, or trust official handling the court accounting, or finances, invesments, or yearly accounting makes errors, or absconds with funds.

Often, attorney's will look for the smallest reason to talk trustees in to hiring a professional co-trustee/trust official, and to bring this suggestion before guardianship court to fill their bank accounts, yet they will tell you this is the only way to satisfy your disgruntled relatives. All the while
they are attached to all the management of the trust gonig forward.

Because of disgruntled relatives, you will really need to contact your state bar association and Read the Compact Edition of Trust Law, like you breathe air .... daily.

FINALLY if you are a visual person, you will want to check out the contents and several pages of your interests of the following booK, as it is equally a TEN STAR BOOK ----> The Trustee's Guide An Essential Handbook for Trustees, Beneficiaries, and Advisors (Paperback) by Howard I. Gross (Author)

You need to remember the Attorney is not the boss of your relatives Trust.

If you are the Trustee, you need to let acquisitive attorney's know you are not willing to expense the estate friviously and understand, you and you alone are accountable, without throughly exploring the disadvantages before giving a written approval.