What the Heck Do These Words Mean? Probate Part 2

Hey there. My name is Ron Payne. I’m the CEO and managing partner here at Apple Payne Law in Kernersville. I wanted to follow up with our prior video about more just words you don’t use in everyday English that also will explain to you kind of the definitions of common terms you might hear in intestacy or probate types of proceedings.

Next one is a common question — What about executors and personal representatives and estate administrators and trustees. Those are all legal ways of saying who’s in charge of carrying out the decisions wishes, or the document grantor’s wishes. So if you’re the will, there’ll be called an administrator or personal representative or an executor, those are all the same words, basically saying who the person who’s passed away, has placed in charge of their affairs when they’ve passed.

Frequently, your spouse will become the executor or the administrator.

Now there are old English versions of documents running around; sometimes you’ll see them referred to as the testate tricks, or the executive tricks. And, you know, in the olden days, they would use the Latin form of the feminine, which meant that you know, guys were executor and gals or executrix. Nowadays, everybody’s executor or the administrator, whatever they don’t distinguish with the post fixes anymore, but sometimes you see them out there.

What about heirs, legatees, beneficiaries, and devisees? All of those are fancy ways of saying, Well, who gets the stuff? You know, once the bills and creditors have been paid, because you know, Uncle Sam’s getting his money first. But once that’s been taken care of, and the debts have been paid, then the heirs are the people who are receiving the money. heirs are the beneficiaries as set forth by the state under the laws of intestacy.

So if you don’t have a will, then your heirs at law will be who inherits from you, devisees are the ones receiving property through the will. Legatees is the same thing — its legacy, who is inheriting the things through the documents you’ve set forth.

For more information, you can like and subscribe here on YouTube. And we’ll keep putting out hopefully helpful content for you. Give us a call at (336) 281-6928 or schedule a consultation online. and we will gladly help take estate planning or probate off your plate.

We will give you the peace of mind and the energy to take care of your family and your loved ones. And we’ll take care of the legal process so that you can do just that.

I hope everybody has a great day and we look forward to talking with you again soon. Thanks.