Trust, Will & Estate Administration

Probate and Estate Administration in Massachusetts

The process of administering a person’s estate typically adds stress and other complications to an already difficult time.  The necessary steps to administer an estate and determine an inheritance, is largely determined by the estate planning decisions that were made during the lifetime of the person, knowingly or unknowingly.

Estate administration often involves preparing many time-sensitive forms and making decisions that have tax and other serious consequences, including accounting for and valuing assets, changing title of the deceased’s property to the heir(s), electing a payout under a retirement plan and paying taxes to state and federal authorities. The administering of an estate can be very complex because it often involves several different bodies of law, including property, probate and tax. For example, some assets that are included in the taxable estate, are not included in the probate estate, while other property is not included in either the probate, or taxable estate of a deceased person.  To learn more, click here to visit our frequently asked questions (FAQs) about the probate and estate administration process.

We work to alleviate the difficulties of the estate administration process. The Law Offices of Michael T. Baker offer the following estate administration legal services:

• Trust Administration
• Probate of estates with a valid Will
• Administration of estates without a valid Will
• Administration of non-probate assets
• Stretch IRA and Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
• Guardianships
• Planning for those with special needs or the incapacitated
• Federal and state estate tax returns
• Counsel to executors, administrators, trustees or heirs
• Massachusetts Estate Tax Lien Releases
• Contested Wills
• Ancillary probate

To begin the process and determine the next step, contact us or call: 508.429.6000 ext. 13 for a complimentary consultation to determine what is required to properly administer an estate. For more information on taxable estates or estate planning, click here.