Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts

This may be done for tax reasons or to control the property and its benefits if the settlor is absent, incapacitated, or deceased

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Although relatives of the deceased frequently receive priority over all others, creditors of the deceased and 'any other citizen [of that jurisdiction]'[citation needed] may act as an administrator if there is some cognizable reason or relationship to the estate

[5] If a person without a durable power in place does not have the capacity to execute a power of attorney, the only way for another party to act on their behalf may be to have a court impose a conservatorship or a guardianship

Assets left to any other heir, including the decedent's children, may be taxed if that portion of the estate has a value in excess of the lifetime gift, estate, and generation-skipping transfer tax exemption amount

The total of all of these items is your "Gross Estate