Which term describes the person who would receive property under a will?

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

Answer: (D)

In a will, the person who is designated to receive property is the beneficiary. The will specifies who gets specific gifts or what portion of the estate, and those named recipients are called beneficiaries.

The executor, by contrast, is the person who administers the estate—paying debts, filing taxes, and distributing assets according to the will. A trustee runs a trust, whether created by the will or existing independently, to manage assets for beneficiaries. An heir refers to someone who would inherit if there were no will (intestate succession), not to someone named in a will. So the best term for the recipient of property under a will is beneficiary.