Posts in March 12, 2026

It’s Virginia in 1820. Your father has just died and named you as executor in his will. You can’t start settling up without the court approving the will and it being admitted to probate. You also have to be approved by the court as executor and become legally authorized to perform the duties as executor. This usually also includes posting a bond with bondsmen to sign along with you. The bond will have a stated value, but that’s not an amount of cash that anyone deposits anywhere. Typically it’s an amount that covers the value of the estate (or at least the potential bills) and while the executor doesn’t need to “be worth that much” the bondsmen generally (at least in the aggregate) do. The bondsmen are guaranteeing […]