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Beneficiary |
a person who receives benefits or property from a will when someone dies Her daughter was named the beneficiary of her mother’s life insurance policy. |
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Codicil |
an amendment to a will A codicil was added to his will to include his new grandchild. |
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Decedent |
the person who died The decedent had an estate plan that gave money to many charities. |
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Deed |
a legal document used to transfer ownership of property The deed to their house was kept in a safe deposit box. |
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Estate |
the real and personal property that a person owns His estate was valued at $500,000 when he died. |
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Executor |
a person appointed to carry out the settlement of an estate The will indicated that their oldest child would be the executor. |
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Heir |
a person who inherits or is entitled by law or will to inherit the estate of another The heir received a house, some stock, and a car when his uncle died. |
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Inherit |
to receive property from a deceased person The will specified that he would inherit the family farm in Ohio when his parents died. |
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Intestate |
to die without a will She died intestate so the government had to decide how to distribute her assets. |
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Probate |
the legal process of settling the estate of a deceased person A probate lawyer can help families handle estate issues. |
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Testator |
a person who wrote a will The testator’s signature on a will must be witnessed to be valid. |
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Will |
a legal written document that indicates how property is distributed upon a person’s death Some people leave all their money to charity in their will. |
