Beth Fellows, age 13, of Bowling Green, Ohio, for her question:

HOW DOES A PERSON BECOME A WILL'S EXECUTOR?

In law, a person or financial institution designated to carry out the terms of a last will and testament is called an executor. The executor is selected by the person who writes the will, who is called a testator.

An executor will carry out the testator's expressed wishes with respect to the disposal of any assets (called the estate) after the person's death. The office of the executor cannot be assigned.

Should a will fail to name an executor, or should an executor be unwilling or unable to function, a probate court will appoint an administrator to dispose of the estate. Administrators are also appointed by probate courts to dispose of the property of persons who die intestate, that is, without leaving a will.

An executor can be an individual or a financial institution such as a trust company or a bank.

All executors derive their powers from the terms of the wills in which they are appointed.