Like most children, you have dreaded the day when your parents die. Now that the day has come, you depend on their executor to manage your parent's assets and distribute them according to their estate plan's instructions. The executor's fiduciary duty requires him or...
Month: July 2017
Can the court remove a personal representative?
When creating their estate plans, people often name others to serve as their personal representatives or estate executors. Some choose family members, while others name friends, members of their religious communities or other trusted connections. In their capacity as...
How much should your executor know about you finances?
If you are writing a will or creating a comprehensive estate plan, you eventually must settle on an executor. Your estate's executor is simply the person who deals with your assets and debts after your death. Your estate plan should provide explicit instructions for...
Lonely nursing home residents are vulnerable to undue influence
Moving your elderly parents into a nursing home was probably one of the more difficult decisions you have ever had to make. After all, the move took your mother and father away from friends, family members and others. Even though you call frequently and visit as often...
Do you know how to handle creditor claims during probate?
When a loved one appoints you as the personal representative of an estate, you have several responsibilities during probate. One of the crucial elements is handling creditor claims. While disseminating an estate as set out by the deceased, things may crop up that you...
What can you expect to feel when contesting a will?
Few family disagreements have the potential to become more bitter than those that involve estate plans. After all, the stakes are often incredibly high for family members, with some perhaps even standing to lose out on their inheritance completely. If you do not...
What do you do after a loved one dies?
The death of someone you love hits hard. Trying to muddle through their estate and your responsibilities may add to an already taxing task. It may help to have an idea of what you will face in the aftermath of a loved one's death. Having an idea of the factors you may...
What qualities should you look for in an executor?
As you get further into the process of estate planning, you may begin to have questions about what kind of person you want to be an executor for your will. Since this person is responsible for fulfilling your final wishes and completing legal processes, you should...
Petitioning to remove an executor in Pennsylvania
The death of your loved one is a time of extreme grief and stress and the last thing you want to see is a will or estate go mismanaged because of a poor pick in an executor. When you see it happening, you may feel helpless since they have court-granted letters of...
What may I do to help my will get through probate quicker?
As described on the State General Assembly website, Pennsylvania has procedures to prove an individual’s will is valid. You may take steps that could make the process of validating a will, referred to as probate, a less complicated procedure. A smoother passage of...