Executor.

In plain English

An executor is the person a will names to carry out its instructions after the writer dies. The job means gathering the assets, paying the final bills and taxes, and handing the rest to the people named in the will. In most states an executor has to be formally approved by a probate court before they can act, and they have a legal duty to handle the money honestly and in the estate's interest, not their own. If someone dies without naming an executor, the court appoints one (often called an administrator). The exact duties and paperwork are set by state law, so a licensed estate attorney is the right guide for the specifics.

01Why it matters

Being named executor can mean months of paperwork, court deadlines, and personal legal responsibility if you mishandle the money, so it is worth knowing what you are agreeing to before you say yes.

02The math, step by step

Maria's father names her executor in his will. After he dies, she files the will with the probate court, opens an estate bank account, pays off his remaining credit card balance and the funeral bill, files his final tax return, and then splits the rest between herself and her brother as the will directs. The whole process takes about nine months.

03What this is NOT