Estate and Trust Administration For Dummies

Margaret Atkins Munro, EA, is a tax advisor, writer, and lecturer with more than 30 years' experience in trusts, estates, family tax, and small business. Kathryn A. Murphy, Esq., is an attorney with more than 20 years' experience administering estates and trusts and preparing estate and gift tax returns.

Introduction 1 Part I: Getting Started with Estate and Trust Administration 7 Chapter 1: Operating in a Fiduciary World 9 Chapter 2: Exploring the Ins and Outs of Estates 19 Chapter 3: Identifying Different Types of Trusts 31 Chapter 4: Assembling Your Team Members and Knowing When to Use Them 57 Part II: Administering an Estate 73 Chapter 5: Taking the First Steps after Death 75 Chapter 6: Navigating the Probate Process 91 Chapter 7: Marshalling and Liquidating Assets 109 Chapter 8: Paying the Debts, Expenses, Bequests, and Devises from the Estate 133 Chapter 9: Closing the Estate 147 Part III: Operating a Revocable or Irrevocable Trust 157 Chapter 10: Understanding the Trustee s Duties 159 Chapter 11: Funding the Trust 171 Chapter 12: Investing the Trust s Assets and Paying Its Expenses 183 Chapter 13: Paying Trust Beneficiaries 203 Chapter 14: Creating and Keeping Trust Records 217 Chapter 15: Terminating the Trust 231 Part IV: Paying the Taxes 241 Chapter 16: Preparing the Estate Tax Return, Part 1 243 Chapter 17: Preparing the Estate Tax Return, Part 2 263 Chapter 18: Filing Income Tax Returns for a Decedent, Estate, or Trust 287 Chapter 19: Weighing Income Tax Implications 311 Chapter 20: Reporting Tax Info on Schedule K-1 321 Part V: The Part of Tens 333 Chapter 21: Ten Pitfalls for the Unwary 335 Chapter 22: Ten Types of Taxes You May Have to Pay 343 Appendix A: Glossary 349 Appendix B: State-by-State Rules of Intestacy and Estate or Inheritance Tax 359 Index 379