** For more information or help administering your loved one’s estate, visit MortonElderLaw.com or call (866) 925-9797**

The person whom has long been referred to as the “executor” in the estate planning process has now been given an alternative name when managing your estate.
The new title is that of a “personal representative,” which again is simply the individual who will manage your affairs after your passing. In Mississippi, personal representative is a common term along with executor or executrix for females.

The personal representative has a very big job of finishing up the decedent’s business, such as taking care of taxes and keeping the bills paid; not to mention the much more commonly recognized job of making sure the decedent’s wishes are followed when it comes to distributing assets.

If you are named as a personal representative, it’s likely that you will need the guidance and expertise of a wills and estates lawyer in Clinton MS who serves the surrounding area.

Your will lawyer in Clinton will help you better understand your role as a personal representative and can offer considerable advice on how to execute your duties and protect as much of the inheritance as possible from court costs, taxes, etc.
Now when it comes to choosing a personal representative, there are many qualities which may make one person a better choice than others.

For example, a good personal representative will have a sense of fairness and will be able to remain impartial when it comes to following the decedent’s instructions. You will want someone who possesses these qualities while also has the skills to:

• Find all parts of the estate and do a complete inventory of assets
• Pay the bills of the estate while it is being processed
• Manage the estate’s assets as required throughout the process
• Distribute assets to heirs and beneficiaries according to the decedent’s wishes; and
• Close the estate when everything is ready

Now if you are in the position that you have been named as someone’s personal representative, keep in mind that the courts don’t necessarily have to accept you as just because you were nominated in the will.

But even before that process has started with the courts, you are allowed to carry out certain written instructions left by the decedent, especially when it comes to the body and funeral arrangements.

You may also want to get a start on gathering and protecting assets while working to locate the decedent’s original will, often kept in the home, safe deposit box, or with the wills and trusts attorney.

There will be other documents to track down, as well such as funeral plans, wills and trusts, pre-nuptial agreements, insurance policies, retirement fund statements, bankruptcy papers, unpaid bills, and so much more.

Your Clinton MS wills and estates attorney can give you a much more comprehensive list to get you going in the right direction so you can ensure that every aspect of the estate has been considered.

For immediate assistance with this, we invite you to call our lawyers at (601)925-9797 and ask to schedule a Legacy Planning Session. Be sure to mention this video to come in and meet with us at no-charge.