| A | B |
|---|
| administrator | A person or an entity appointed by a court to administer an intestate estate. |
| beneficiary | One who inherits under a will; one who benefits from a trust. |
| conservator | A person appointed by a court to manage the estate of a protected person. |
| decedent | A person who has died; deceased person. |
| descendant | Those persons who are in the blood stream of the ancestor. |
| devisee | The person to whom land or real property is given by will. |
| executor | A person or entity appointed by a person to administer the terms of their will. Called personal representative under the Uniform Probate Code. |
| fiduciary | A person or institution who manages money or property for another and who must exercise a standard of care imposed by law, i.e., personal representative or executor of an estate or a trustee. |
| guardian | A person designated in a will or appointed by the court to manage the affairs and/or care for the needs of a minor or a disabled person. |
| guardian ad litem | Person appointed by a court to represent a minor or incapacitated person in a legal proceeding. |
| heir | One who inherits property, either real or personal, from a relative. |
| legatee | The person to whom a legacy is given in a will. |
| personal representative | The name given under the Uniform Probate Code to a person appointed by the court to handle the administration of an estate. |
| testator | A person who makes a will. |
| trustee | A person who administers a trust for another's benefit |
| trustor | A person who creates a trust |
| per capita | According to the number of individuals, share and share alike. |
| per stirpes | By roots or stocks; by representation. Denotes that method of dividing an intestate estate where a class or group of distributees take the share which their deceased would have been entitled to, had he or she lived, taking thus by their right of representing such ancestor, and not as so many individuals. |
| lineal ascendent | An heir like mother, father, grandparents |
| lineal descendent | An heir like a child or grandchildren |
| collateral heir | An heir like a brother, sister, aunt, uncle |
