Beneficiary: Someone who inherits something from an estate with a will. A beneficiary is named in the will.

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Codicil: A supplement to a will such as a document or rider that modifies or supersedes an existing provision of the will or creates a new provision.

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Conservator: Someone appointed to manage the affairs of someone who is incompetent or unable to make decisions for themselves.

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Heir: Someone who inherits property when someone dies. An heir is someone who is not named as a beneficiary in the will but is a family member of the deceased by marriage or blood. This includes a spouse, child, parent, or, in some cases, more extended family.

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Intestate: Someone who dies without a legal will in places dies intestate. In this case, distribution of the estate’s assets is the responsibility of the probate court and completed according to state law.

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Joint Tenancy With Rights of Survivorship: A type of joint property ownership that grants co-owners the right to a share of the home upon the death of a joint tenant. The interest of the deceased co-owner is automatically transferred to surviving co-owners. With regular joint tenancy ownership without right of survivorship, tenants in common have no right of survivorship unless the deceased co-owner specifically states that his or her interest in the property should be divided among surviving co-owners in a will.

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Personal Representative (Executor or Executrix): A personal representative, also known as an executor or executrix is someone designated by a will to administer an estate and handle distribution of the estate’s assets to beneficiaries.

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Probate: A court process in which a will is proved valid and a decedent’s estate is settled.

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Probate Court: The state court under the judicial system that handles matters related to conservatorships, wills, and estates.

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Tenancy in Common: A type of shared tenancy in which each tenant or owner has a separate interest in the property that can be transferred.

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Testate: Someone who has died and left a valid will