What term describes the person nominated in a will and appointed by a court to settle the estate?

• A. Administrator
• B. Guardian
• C. Executor
• D. Trustee

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is the role of someone who is named in a will to handle and settle the decedent’s estate. When there is a will, the person named to carry out its instructions is the executor. The court reviews the will in a probate process and formally appoints that person as executor, giving them the legal authority to collect assets, pay debts and taxes, and distribute the remaining property to the beneficiaries named in the will. This is what makes the executor the correct term for someone nominated in a will and appointed by a court to settle the estate.

An administrator is the person the court appoints to handle an estate when there is no will or no named executor. A guardian protects a minor or an incapacitated person, not the broader estate. A trustee manages assets held in a trust, which is a different arrangement from settling a probate estate.