Executor or Trustee Services

Locate and value estate assets

Assist with inventory of property and order appraisals as needed.
Determine existence of ownership interests in business endeavors (rental properties, partnership interests, etc).
Determine existence of bank accounts, safe deposit boxes, stocks and other investment accounts.
Determine what life insurance policies, annuities, retirement benefits exist. Identify points of contact for each and provide directions for payment, as appropriate.

Determine outstanding debts and liabilities

Determine the outstanding balances of mortgages and other legitimate debts of the deceased.
Determine the existence of other valid claims against the estate and help you dispute anything that is not valid.

Identify the appropriate professionals with whom to work

Determine who has handled the legal documents, if any, of the deceased.
Determine who managed the investment accounts of the deceased to determine resources available. Don’t allow withdrawals of accounts until estate tax considerations have been taken into account in planning for surviving spouse.
Determine who will prepare the estate and final income tax returns of the deceased. Provide assistance to facilitate preparation of these returns.

Qualifications of a good Executor or Trustee

Ability to work well with family members in determining their immediate and long term needs.
Ability to be fair and impartial in carrying out the goals of the deceased.
Attention to detail and the time to dedicate to obtaining the necessary information.
Ability to follow up on multiple issues at the same time.
Ability to work expeditiously to allow assets to be accessed as needed by survivors.
Ability to understand the financial, business, tax and legal issues the estate will face.
Ability to keep confidential matters confidential.
If you can’t do it all yourself, let Margaret help you! She has the experience to make this difficult time a little less stressful for you and your loved ones.

Margaret Weidenbruch Nolan grew up in Rockville, MD and graduated from Georgetown University in 1980.
During her 27 years in practice, she has worked for international accounting firms
(Price Waterhouse and Arthur Young) as well as local CPA firms.

Her husband, Michael Gooden, has recently joined her in the business.