He is usually bonded. Having a will allows you to name your Executor, to waive or minimize the surety bond your estate is required to provide for your Executor, and, most importantly, to designate how your property will be distributed. Probate normally takes about a year to complete, in part because creditors are given six months in which to file any claims against an estate. Bills of the decedent are paid.
Tax returns are prepared, filed and perhaps audited.
Property may be sold to pay taxes or debts, or to distribute bequests to the beneficiaries. Accounts are prepared and filed with the Court, reviewed and audited by the Commissioner of Accounts, and modified as needed until approved. Insurance proceeds and retirement plan benefits are paid to beneficiaries by the terms of the Plan or policy and are not subject to probate. Property in a trust is legally owned by the trustee and thus is not included in the probate estate of a trust. Revocable trusts are, therefore, often used to avoid probate.