Glossary
Many of the terms used while managing life after a death are uncommon or difficult to understand.
Below are brief definitions for some of the most typically used.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact us.
A
- Administer the Estate
- Administrative Expenses
- Administrator
- Administrators Deed
- Adult Protective Services
- Advance Care Directive
- Advance Care Plan
- Advance Directive
- Advance Healthcare Directive
- Affidavit
- Affidavit of Death of Joint Tenant
- Affinity
- Alkaline Hydrolysis
- Annuitant
- Annuity
- Appraisal
- Appraiser
- Aquamation
- Art Therapist
- Assets
- Attestation
- Attested Will
- Attorney-in-Fact
- Authorities
- Autopsy
B
- Bachelor of Social Work (BSW)
- Bankruptcy Attorneys
- Beneficiaries
- Bequeath
- Bequest
- Bereaved
- Bereavement
- Bereavement Gift
- Bereavement Leave
- Best Interests
- Best interests of the child
- Birth Certificate
- Burial
- Burial Flag
- Burial Permit
- Burial Plot
- Burial Vault
- Business Attorney
C
- Capital Gains Tax
- Casket
- Celebration of Life
- Cemetery
- Certified Copy of a Death Certificate
- Certified Public Accountant
- Chaplain
- Child Protective Services
- Clinical Autopsy
- Clinical Psychologist
- Coach
- Codicils
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Coinsurance
- Collateral
- Columbaria
- Community Property Laws
- Community Property State
- Condolence Gift
- Conjoint Will
- Consanguinity
- Conservatee
- Conservator
- Conservatorship
- Conservatorship Court
- Consular Mortuary Certificate
- Consular Report of Death of a US Citizen Abroad
- Contest
- Contingent Beneficiaries
- Co-pay
- Coping
- Coroner
- Corporate Attorney
- Counseling Psychologist
- Credit
- Credit Bureau
- Creditors
- Credit Report
- Credit Reporting Agency
- Cremains
- Cremated Remains
- Cremation
- Cremation Permit
- Crematorium
- Crematory
- Cremulator
- Crypt
D
- Date-of-Death Value
- Death Benefits
- Deathcare
- Death Certificate
- Death Doula
- Death Notice
- Debt
- Debtor
- Decedent
- Declaration of Death
- Decree of Distribution
- Deductible
- Deed
- Deed of Distribution
- Degree of Relationship
- Dependency and Indemnity Compensation
- Dependents
- Descendants
- Devise
- Devisee
- Devisor
- Direct Cremation
- Disposition
- Distribution
- Divisions
- Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (Ph.D)
- Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)
- Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
- Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR)
- Durable Power of Attorney (DOA)
E
- Early Beneficiary Distribution
- Elder Law Attorney
- Embalming
- Employee Identification Number
- Encumbrance
- End-of-Life Doula
- Endowment Care
- Entomb
- Epitaph
- Escheat
- Estate
- Estate Account
- Estate Accountant
- Estate Administrator
- Estate Attorney
- Estate Bond
- Estate File
- Estate Income Tax
- Estate Law
- Estate Loan
- Estate Plan
- Estate Sale
- Estate Settlement
- Estate Tax
- Eulogizer
- Eulogy
- Execute the Will
- Executor
- Executor Bond
- Executor Fee
- Executor of Estate
- Executor of the Will
- Executors Deed
- Exhume
- Ex Parte for Final Discharge and Order
F
- Fair Market Value
- Family Allowance
- Family Court
- Family Law Attorney
- Fiduciary
- Fiduciary Bond
- Fiduciary Tax Return
- Filial Responsibility Laws
- Final Account
- Final Disposition
- Financial Power of Attorney
- Forensic Autopsy
- Funeral
- Funeral Announcement
- Funeral Director
- Funeral Home
- Funeral Insurance
- Funeral Loan
- Funeral Procession
- Funeral Program
- Funeral Rule
- Funeral Service
- Funeral spray
G
- General Price List
- Gift Tax
- Grantee
- Grantor
- Grave
- Grave Liner
- Graveside Service
- Gravesite
- Gravestone
- Grave Vault
- Green Burial
- Grief
- Grief Counselor
- Group Therapy
- Guardian
- Guardianship
- Guardianship Attorney
- Guardianship Court
- Guardianship of the Estate
- Guardianship of the Person
H
- Handwritten Will
- Headstone
- Healthcare Agent
- Healthcare Power of Attorney
- Healthcare Proxy
- Healthy Coping
- Hearse
- Heir
- Holographic Will
- Honorarium
- Hospice
- Human Remains
I
- Immigration Attorney
- Informal Probate
- Inheritance
- Inheritance Advance
- Inheritance Loan
- Inheritance Rights
- Inheritance Tax
- Inheritor
- In-Network Providers
- Inpatient Facility
- Insolvent
- Interested Parties
- Interment
- Intestacy
- Intestate Succession
- Inventory
- Inventory Form
- Irrevocable Trust
- IRS Form 1041
- IRS Form 1310
- IRS Form 4506
- IRS Form 4810
- IRS Form 56
- IRS Form 706
- IRS Form 709
- IRS Form Schedule K-1
- Issue
J
K
L
- Last Will and Testament
- Laws of Escheat
- Laws of Inheritance
- Laws of Intestacy
- Legal Guardian
- Legatee
- Legator
- Letters of Administration
- Letters of Testamentary
- Liabilities
- Licensed Bachelor Social Worker (LBSW)
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)
- Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW)
- Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
- Lien
- Life Insurance
- Living Trust
- Living Will
- Lump Sum
M
- Majority
- Marital Deduction
- Marker
- Master of Art Therapy
- Master of Clinical Psychology
- Master of Counseling Psychology
- Master of Mental Health Counseling
- Master of Science in Counseling (MS)
- Master of Social Work (MSW)
- Mausoleum
- Medicaid
- Medical Autopsy
- Medical Examiner
- Medical Power of Attorney
- Medicare
- Memorial Program
- Memorial Service
- Memorial Website
- Minor
- Minutes
- Monument
- Morgue
- Mortician
- Mortuary
- Mourning
N
- Natural Burial
- Negative Coping
- Next of Kin
- Niche
- Non-Probate Assets
- Notarize
- Notary Public
- Notice
- Notice to Creditors
- Nuncupative Will
O
- Obituary
- Officiant
- Open Casket Ceremony
- Opening and Closing Fee
- Oral Will
- Order of Service
- Order on Final Distribution
- Orphan's Court
- Out-of-Network Providers
- Outpatient Facilities
P
- Palliative Care
- Payable-on-Death
- Pension
- Per Capita
- Personal Representative
- Per Stirpes
- Petition for Appointment of Guardian
- Petition for Discharge
- Petition for Family Allowance
- Petition for Final Distribution
- Petition for Letters of Administration
- Petition for Probate
- Petition for Sale of Assets
- Pet Trust
- Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST)
- Plenary Guardian
- Power of Attorney
- Preliminary Change of Ownership Report
- Preliminary Distribution
- Pre-planning
- Primary Beneficiaries
- Principal
- Probate
- Probate Assets
- Probate Attorney
- Probate Bond
- Probate Court
- Probate Law
- Probate Loan
- Probate the Will
- Prolonged Grief
- Pronouncement of Death
- Prove the Will
- Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
- Psychotherapy
Q
R
- Real Estate Attorney
- Receipt for a Disbursement
- Receipt for a Distribution
- Register of Wills
- Registrar of Vital Statistics
- Reinterment
- Remains
- Repatriation
- Repatriation Certificate
- Resomation
- Retort
- Revocable Living Trust
- Revocable Trust
S
- Safe Deposit Box
- Scatter Ashes
- Scattering Ceremony
- Secured Debt
- Settle the Estate
- Settlor
- Shiva
- Small Estate Affidavit
- Small Estate Probate
- Social Security
- Social Security Administration
- Social Security Death Benefit
- Social Security Disability (SSD)
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Social Work
- Social Worker
- Special Needs Attorney
- Spousal Exemption
- Succession
- Successor Conservator
- Successor Executor
- Successor Trustee
- Summary Probate
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
- Surety
- Surety Bond
- Surrogate's Court
- Surviving Family
- Survivor Benefits
- Survivorship Rights
- Sympathy Gift
T
- Tax Attorney
- Tenancy in Common
- Testacy
- Testamentary Trust
- Testator
- Therapist
- Therapy
- Title
- Title Company
- Tombstone
- Transfer-on-Death
- Trust
- Trust Administration
- Trust Attorney
- Trustee
- Trustor
U
- Undertaker
- Uniform Probate Code
- Unofficial Copy of a Death Certificate
- Unofficious Will
- Unsecured debt
- Urn
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
