When you create an estate plan, you are selecting people whom you trust to perform various jobs for you and your beneficiaries. You may be selecting an agent to act as your Power of Attorney. You may select a medical decision-maker in case you become mentally incapacitated. You may have a Trust and select the Trustee who will manage the money for the beneficiaries. And you may be selecting an Executor who will handle your estate after you pass away
People often feel that being named as Executor is a big honor. Disputes have erupted within families when one child rather than another was named as Executor. Sometimes the person who was named as Executor wants the power and control that come along with the title of Executor, but ignores the responsibilities that come with it. Other times, the Executor has financial troubles of their own, starts “borrowing” funds from the estate, and just lets the estate lie around for years without paying the bills, paying the inheritance taxes or selling the property.
The Executor is a fiduciary — entrusted by law to handle “other people’s money” — and has duties to the funeral home, the tax authorities, the estate’s creditors, and ultimately, to the beneficiaries. Although an Executor is not obligated to reveal every step and every action to the beneficiaries, at some point, the beneficiaries will want to see an accounting so that they know that the amount of their distribution is correct. Reconstructing an accounting after several haphazard years of erratic management of estate assets can be a nightmare that leads to lawsuits brought by beneficiaries.
Managing an estate can be very time consuming. Dealing with third parties to obtain date-of-death values and payoff amounts for debts, tracking down missing assets, and selling real estate can turn into big chores. But the Executor has those duties and obligations.
Ideally, every Will has a list of successors written into it in case the Executor refuses to accept the appointment or decides to resign. But turning over an estate to a successor can create problems of its own, and a process must be initiated through the Surrogate or Court to be discharged as Executor.. Better to think carefully before stepping up to the plate and taking on the responsibility in the first place if you have any doubt of your ability to complete the task.
Call us for advice and assistance with estate administration, and ask about the fiduciary services we provide .. 732-382-6070