The fiduciary appointed in a will who is responsible for marshaling, or gathering, the decedent's assets, paying all of the decedent's debts, and then distributing the assets to the beneficiaries named in the will.

• A. Executor
• B. Conservator
• C. Trustee
• D. Heir

Answer: (A)

The person in charge of probate administration after death is the executor. The executor is named in the will and given authority to marshal the decedent’s assets, pay debts and taxes, and distribute the remaining assets to the beneficiaries listed in the will. This role is a fiduciary one, charged with acting in the estate’s and beneficiaries’ best interests and in accordance with the will and state law.

A conservator oversees the affairs of a living person who cannot manage them, not the post-death estate. A trustee runs a trust, which is separate from the will’s probate process. An heir is a person who inherits, not someone who administers the estate.