When a person passes away, the assets they leave behind are referred to as their estate. Some estate planning documents like a power of attorney or health care proxy are operative during life, while other documents such as a will become effective upon death and require administration at that time.
Estate administration usually involves filing a probate proceeding which will ultimately lead to the gathering and distribution of the estate assets. Similarly, trust administration involves management of trust assets and distribution of trust assets in accordance with the terms of the trust.