Primary Beneficiary
The first-in-line person or entity named to receive an asset upon death.
Glossary
Clear definitions, without the legal or clinical jargon. 179 terms.
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A
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Basic self-care tasks - bathing, dressing, eating, mobility - used to assess how much support someone needs.
Administrator (Estate)
The person appointed to manage an estate when there is no will, comparable to an executor's role.
Adult Day Program
A daytime program offering supervised care and activities for older adults, allowing family caregivers a regular break.
Advance Care Planning
The broader process of thinking through, discussing, and documenting your future healthcare wishes.
Advance Directive
A legal document that states your medical care wishes and/or names someone to make healthcare decisions for you if you can't speak for yourself.
Affidavit of Heirship
A sworn document identifying a deceased person's heirs, sometimes used to transfer property without full probate.
Aging in Place
Staying in one's own home as one ages, rather than moving to a care facility, often with added support or modifications.
Alternative Container
A simple, less expensive container used for direct cremation instead of a full casket.
Ancillary Probate
A secondary probate proceeding required in a state where the deceased owned property but wasn't domiciled.
Anniversary Reaction
A resurgence of grief intensity around a death anniversary, birthday, or other significant date, even years after a loss.
Antam Sanskar
The Sikh funeral ceremony, including hymns and readings from the Guru Granth Sahib.
Anticipatory Grief
Grief that begins before a loss actually happens, often during a loved one's serious illness.
Antyesti
The Hindu last rites, generally involving cremation performed by the eldest son or closest family member.
Area Agency on Aging
A local government-affiliated organization connecting older adults and their families with community resources and support services.
Asset Protection Trust
A trust designed to shield assets from certain future creditors, sometimes even when the person creating it is also a beneficiary.
Assisted Living
A residential community offering help with daily activities for those who need some support but not intensive medical care.
At-Need
Funeral and burial arrangements made at the time of death, rather than planned in advance (preneed).
B
Beneficiary
A person or organization named to receive an asset — like a life insurance policy or retirement account — directly, without going through probate.
Beneficiary Designation
The act of naming a specific person to directly receive an asset, such as a life insurance policy or retirement account, bypassing probate.
Bereavement
The state of having lost someone to death, and the period of grieving that follows.
Bereavement Care
Grief support services, often provided by a hospice, extended to a family for months after a death.
Burial Flag
An American flag draped over a veteran's casket during the funeral, presented to the family afterward.
Burial Vault
An outer container, usually concrete, that surrounds a casket underground to prevent the ground from settling unevenly over time.
C
Caregiver Burnout
Physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion resulting from prolonged caregiving, extremely common and not a sign of failure.
Casket
A container for burial or cremation viewing, ranging from simple cloth-covered wood to elaborate metal designs.
Celebration of Life
A less formal, often more upbeat gathering to honor someone's life, sometimes replacing or supplementing a traditional funeral.
Certificate of Cremation
A document confirming that cremation has taken place, sometimes required alongside a death certificate when traveling with remains.
Chancery Court
A type of court rooted in historical equity law, used for probate in a small number of states including Mississippi.
Chevra Kadisha
A Jewish burial society that prepares a body for burial through ritual washing and dressing.
Codicil
A legal document that amends an existing will without requiring you to write an entirely new one.
Columbarium
A structure built specifically to hold urns in small individual compartments called niches, often located at a cemetery or place of worship.
Community Property
A legal system, used in nine U.S. states, generally treating property and debt acquired during a marriage as jointly owned by both spouses.
Complicated Grief
Grief that remains intensely disruptive well beyond what's typical, continuing to interfere with daily life a year or more after a loss.
Contingent Beneficiary
A backup beneficiary who receives an asset only if the primary beneficiary has already died.
Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC)
A community offering multiple levels of care - independent living, assisted living, and skilled nursing - allowing residents to move between levels as needs change.
Cremation
The process of reducing a body to bone fragments through intense heat, which are then processed into the fine texture commonly known as ashes.
Cremation Garden
A landscaped cemetery area specifically designed for burying urns, often at a lower cost than a full burial plot.
Cremation Society
A membership-based organization that helps arrange simple, low-cost cremation services for its members.
Crypt
A sealed compartment within a mausoleum where a casket is placed, as an above-ground alternative to burial.
D
DD-214
The Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty - the key document for accessing veterans' burial and other benefits.
Death Certificate
The official government document recording a death, required by nearly every institution — banks, insurers, Social Security — to legally verify it.
Death Doula
A trained non-medical companion who provides emotional, spiritual, and practical support to someone dying and their family.
Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)
A tax-free monthly VA benefit potentially available to an eligible surviving spouse, child, or parent of a veteran.
Digital Executor
A person specifically designated to handle digital accounts and assets after death, sometimes named separately from the general estate executor.
Digital Legacy
The digital accounts, data, and online presence a person leaves behind after death.
Direct Cremation
Cremation that happens soon after death with no viewing or service beforehand, typically the least expensive cremation option.
DNR (Do Not Resuscitate)
A medical order indicating a person does not want CPR performed if their heart stops or they stop breathing.
Domicile
A person's permanent legal home state, which determines which state's laws generally govern their estate.
Double-Depth Grave
A single cemetery plot designed to hold two caskets stacked vertically, often used by couples.
Durable Power of Attorney
A power of attorney specifically designed to remain valid even if the person granting it becomes incapacitated.
Dynasty Trust
A trust designed to last for multiple generations, available in states with favorable rules against limits on trust duration.
E
Embalming
A process using chemicals to temporarily preserve and prepare a body, most often done to allow a viewing or extended time before burial.
Escheat
The legal process by which property reverts to the state when someone dies with no will and no identifiable heirs.
Estate
Everything a person owns at the time of death - property, financial accounts, and other assets - which is settled through probate or other legal processes.
Estate Tax 'Cliff'
A feature in some states' estate tax laws where exceeding the exemption by a small margin can subject the entire estate to tax, not just the excess.
Ethical Will
A personal document sharing values, life lessons, and messages for family - distinct from a legal will, with no legal authority.
Eulogy
A speech given at a funeral or memorial service honoring the person who died, often shared by family or close friends.
Executor
The person named in a will who is legally responsible for carrying out its instructions after someone dies.
F
Family Estate (Cemetery)
A larger cemetery plot, often with its own monument, designed to hold multiple family members over time.
Fiduciary
A person or entity with a legal duty to act in someone else's best interest, such as an executor, trustee, or financial power of attorney.
Final Expense Insurance
A smaller life insurance policy specifically sized to cover funeral and burial costs, often with easier qualification requirements.
Forced Heirship
A Louisiana-specific rule generally preventing a parent from fully disinheriting certain children.
FTC Funeral Rule
A federal regulation requiring funeral homes to disclose itemized pricing and protecting consumers from being required to buy unwanted products.
Funeral Director
A licensed professional who coordinates the practical and legal steps after a death, from transporting the body to arranging services.
Funeral Trust
A dedicated trust account holding money specifically designated for future funeral costs, often as part of a preneed arrangement.
G
General Price List (GPL)
An itemized list of a funeral home's prices for products and services, which they're legally required to provide upon request.
Geriatric Care Manager
A professional who assesses care needs and coordinates services for an aging or ill person, often helping families managing care from a distance.
Ghusl
The Islamic ritual washing of a body performed before burial.
Goals of Care
The specific priorities guiding medical decisions for someone with a serious illness, such as prioritizing comfort versus length of life.
Grantor (Settlor)
The person who creates a trust and transfers assets into it.
Grave Liner
A simpler, less expensive alternative to a full burial vault, still helping prevent the ground from settling unevenly.
Green Burial
Burial without embalming, metal caskets, or concrete vaults, allowing the body to return to the earth naturally.
Grief Counselor
A mental health professional specifically trained to support people processing loss and bereavement.
Guardianship
The legal responsibility to care for a minor child (or an incapacitated adult), typically named in advance through a will.
H
Headstone
An upright stone grave marker, one of several types of permanent memorial markers available at most cemeteries.
Healthcare Proxy
A person named in advance to make medical decisions on your behalf if you're unable to communicate them yourself.
Hearse
A vehicle specifically designed to transport a casket, typically from the funeral home to the service and burial site.
Holographic Will
A will written and signed entirely in the testator's own handwriting, recognized as valid in some states without witnesses.
Home Health Aide
A trained caregiver who provides non-medical personal care support, such as bathing or meal help, at home.
Homestead
Legal protections, varying by state, that can shield a primary residence from certain creditor claims and affect how it's inherited.
Honorable Discharge
A discharge status generally required to access most VA burial and other veterans' benefits.
Hospice
Specialized care focused on comfort, not cure, typically for people with a life expectancy of six months or less.
Hospice Eligibility
The requirement, generally a doctor's estimate of six months or less to live, that determines whether someone qualifies for hospice care.
I
Inactive Account Manager
A Google account feature letting users specify in advance what happens to their data if the account becomes inactive for a set period.
Independent Administration
A simplified form of estate administration, available in some states, that involves minimal ongoing court supervision.
Informal Probate
A simplified probate process, available in Uniform Probate Code states, for uncontested estates with a valid will.
Interment
The act of placing a body or cremated remains into their final resting place, such as burial in the ground or placement in a crypt or niche.
Interment Rights
The legal right to be buried in a specific cemetery plot, distinct from owning the land itself.
Intestate
Dying without a valid will, which means state law - not personal wishes - determines how property is distributed.
Intestate Succession
The state law formula determining how property is distributed when someone dies without a valid will.
Irrevocable Trust
A trust that generally cannot be changed or dissolved once established, often used for asset protection or tax planning.
J
Joint Tenancy
A form of shared property ownership where, upon one owner's death, their share automatically passes to the surviving owner(s).
K
Kaddish
A Jewish mourner's prayer, traditionally recited for a parent for up to twelve months after death.
Kafan
The simple white cloth used to wrap a body in Islamic burial practice.
L
Lady Bird Deed
An enhanced life estate deed, popular in Michigan and a few other states, letting a homeowner retain full control while avoiding probate on the property.
Legacy Contact
A person designated in advance, through a platform's own settings, to manage or memorialize an account after death.
Legitime
The minimum share of an estate that Louisiana's forced heirship law guarantees to certain children, regardless of the will.
Letters of Administration
A court document granting an administrator legal authority to manage an estate when there's no will.
Letters Testamentary
A court document formally granting an executor legal authority to act on behalf of an estate.
Life Estate
A form of property ownership granting someone use of a property for their lifetime, after which it passes automatically to another named person.
Living Will
A document specifying which medical treatments you do or don't want in specific situations, such as life-sustaining treatment with no reasonable chance of recovery.
Long-Term Care Insurance
Insurance specifically designed to cover extended care costs, such as nursing home or in-home care, that Medicare generally doesn't cover.
M
Marital Property Act
A Wisconsin law creating a system functionally similar to community property, using its own specific legal terminology.
Mausoleum
An above-ground structure containing sealed compartments (crypts) where caskets are placed, rather than being buried underground.
Memorial Garden
A landscaped space dedicated to remembrance, sometimes at a cemetery, place of worship, or park.
Memorial Service
A gathering to honor someone who has died, held without the body present, usually after burial or cremation has already occurred.
Memorialized Account
A social media profile (such as on Facebook) converted to a permanent, non-active tribute state after the account holder's death.
Memory Care
A specialized form of assisted living designed and staffed specifically for residents with dementia or significant cognitive decline.
Monument
A larger, often more elaborate memorial structure, sometimes marking a family plot rather than a single individual.
N
National Cemetery
A cemetery operated by the VA's National Cemetery Administration, offering burial at no cost to eligible veterans and their families.
Next of Kin
The closest living relative(s) of a deceased person, often relevant for authorizing decisions when no other legal authority (like a will or healthcare proxy) exists.
Niche
A small compartment within a columbarium, sized to hold an urn rather than a casket.
No Administration Necessary
A Georgia process available when there's no estate debt and all heirs agree on distribution, avoiding a formal executor or administrator.
No-Contest Clause
A will provision discouraging beneficiaries from legally challenging the will by threatening to reduce or eliminate their inheritance if they do.
Nonintervention Administration
A Washington State process letting an executor administer an estate with minimal ongoing court supervision, if the will grants this power or heirs agree.
O
Obituary
A published notice of a death, typically including biographical details, survivors, and service information.
Organ Donor Registry
A state-maintained list of people who have registered their intent to be an organ donor, often linked to a driver's license.
P
Pallbearer
A person who helps carry or escort the casket during a funeral service.
Palliative Care
Comfort-focused care available at any stage of a serious illness, alongside treatment aimed at a cure — distinct from hospice, which is specifically end-of-life care.
Palliative Sedation
The use of medication to relieve otherwise unmanageable symptoms at the end of life, sometimes reducing consciousness as a result.
Payable-on-Death (POD) Account
A bank account with a named beneficiary who receives the funds directly after death, bypassing probate.
Per Capita
A method of distributing an estate equally among all surviving beneficiaries at a given generational level.
Per Stirpes
A method of distributing an estate where a deceased beneficiary's share passes to their own descendants, rather than being redistributed among surviving beneficiaries.
Perpetual Care
A fund, funded by part of a cemetery plot purchase, meant to cover ongoing maintenance of the cemetery grounds indefinitely.
Personal Representative
A general legal term covering both executors (named in a will) and administrators (appointed when there's no will).
POLST / MOLST
A physician-signed medical order translating a seriously ill patient's treatment wishes into specific, actionable instructions.
Pour-Over Will
A will designed to transfer any remaining assets into an existing trust at death, catching anything not already placed there.
Power of Attorney
A legal document naming someone to make financial or legal decisions on your behalf while you're alive but unable to act yourself.
Preneed
A funeral or burial arrangement made and often paid for in advance, typically with a specific funeral home.
Presidential Memorial Certificate
An engraved paper certificate signed by the sitting President, recognizing an honorably discharged veteran's service.
Probate
The court-supervised process of validating a will, paying debts, and distributing a person's property after death.
Probate Bond
An insurance-like bond sometimes required of an executor or administrator, protecting the estate against mismanagement.
Prognosis
A doctor's estimate of how an illness is likely to progress, including an expected timeline - an estimate, not a guarantee.
Prolonged Grief Disorder
The clinical term for complicated grief - grief that remains intensely disruptive well beyond what's typical.
Q
Qualification (Executor)
Virginia's specific term for the process where an executor formally receives legal authority to act on behalf of an estate.
R
Release from Administration
An Ohio process simplifying and speeding up estate settlement for smaller qualifying estates.
Remainderman
The person who receives ownership of property after a life estate ends.
Rental Casket
A casket with a removable interior, used for a viewing before cremation, then reused for other services.
Repatriation
The process of transporting a body back to a home country or state after death occurs elsewhere.
Residuary Estate
Whatever remains of an estate after specific gifts, debts, and taxes have been paid, distributed according to the will's residuary clause.
Respite Care
Temporary relief care, provided by a professional or facility, giving a primary caregiver a necessary break.
Revocable Living Trust
A trust that can be changed or dissolved during the creator's lifetime, commonly used to avoid probate.
S
Salat al-Janazah
The collective Islamic funeral prayer, performed standing without the bowing or prostration of daily prayers.
Scattering Garden
A designated cemetery area where cremated remains can be scattered directly into the ground.
Self-Proving Affidavit
A notarized statement attached to a will that can speed up probate by avoiding the need to locate witnesses to verify it.
Set-Aside (Estate)
A Nevada process allowing very small estates to be settled quickly, avoiding full formal probate.
Sheloshim
The thirty days following a Jewish burial (including shiva), a period of continued, gentler mourning.
Shiva
A seven-day Jewish mourning period observed by immediate family, traditionally at home, following burial.
Shraddha
A Hindu ceremony marking the end of the mourning period and honoring the departed soul.
Simultaneous Death
A legal situation, and specific set of rules, addressing what happens to inheritance when two people (often spouses) die at nearly the same time.
Skilled Nursing Facility
A facility providing intensive, medical-level care, similar in some ways to a hospital setting.
Slayer Rule
A legal doctrine preventing someone from inheriting from a person they unlawfully and intentionally killed.
Small Estate Affidavit
A simplified legal process letting heirs collect a deceased person's assets without full probate, for estates below a state-specific value threshold.
Special Needs Trust
A trust designed to provide for a person with a disability without jeopardizing their eligibility for government benefits.
Specific Bequest
A gift of a particular, identified item or amount named in a will, as opposed to a share of the general estate.
Springing Power of Attorney
A power of attorney that only takes effect upon a specific triggering event, such as incapacitation.
Successor Trustee
The person or entity who takes over managing a trust after the original trustee can no longer serve.
Summary Administration
A simplified probate process, used in states like Florida, available for smaller estates or when death occurred more than a set period ago.
Summary Probate / Summary Distribution
Simplified probate processes, used in states like Oklahoma and Alabama, for smaller qualifying estates.
Support Group
A gathering of people experiencing similar loss or circumstances, offering mutual understanding and connection.
T
Terminal Illness
An illness expected to eventually result in death, generally without an available cure.
Testamentary Trust
A trust created through a will, taking effect only after death, rather than during the creator's lifetime.
Testator
The person who creates and signs a will, specifying how their property should be distributed after death.
Transfer-on-Death Deed
A deed letting a property owner name a beneficiary to receive real estate automatically at death, without going through probate.
Trust
A legal arrangement that holds and manages assets, often used to avoid probate or control how and when beneficiaries receive property.
Trustee
The person or entity responsible for managing a trust's assets according to its terms.
U
Uniform Probate Code (UPC)
A model set of probate laws adopted, often with modifications, by many U.S. states to standardize and simplify estate administration.
Urn
A container that holds cremated remains, ranging from simple materials to elaborate or biodegradable designs.
V
Vault (Burial Vault)
An outer container, usually concrete, surrounding a casket underground to prevent the ground from settling unevenly.
Veteran Service Officer
A trained professional, often available through veteran organizations or county offices, who helps veterans and families navigate VA benefits.
Viewing
Seeing the body, typically in an open casket, either as part of a visitation or privately for close family.
Vigil
A gathering held to keep watch and offer prayers before a funeral, particularly associated with Catholic tradition.
Visitation
A gathering, often the evening before or morning of a funeral, where family and friends can offer condolences in person.
Voluntary Administration
A simplified probate process for smaller estates, used in states like New York and Massachusetts, generally faster than full estate administration.
W
Wake
A gathering, often the evening before a funeral, where family and friends come together to offer condolences — historically an overnight vigil.
Y
Year's Allowance
A North Carolina statutory provision letting a surviving spouse and children receive a set sum from the estate before most other claims are paid.