If a trust is set up, will an executor be in chanrge of handling all accounts?

Deborah31557 asked...

Does durable POA ends when the person pass?

And if a trust is set up will a executor be in charge of handling all the accounts?

Expert Answer

Barbara Repa, a Caring.com senior editor, is an attorney, a journalist specializing in aging issues, and the author of Your Rights in the Workplace (Nolo), now in its 10th edition.

It seems as if your good hunches are answering your own questions.

All powers conferred by a power of attorney end the moment a person dies. At that point, what happens to their final debts and the property they own is handled according to any estate planning documents they have completed during life, such as a will or a trust.

Most trusts also appoint a person as "trustee" to act at death and mange or distribute the trust property as the trust directs. And if the person has a will"”many people have both"”that document usually names a person to act as "executor," distributing any other property according to the terms of the will.

In the rare cases that a trust or will does not name a trustee or executor to be in charge of winding up an estate, a probate court will appoint a person to do the job.