dear Moneyologist,
When my stepfather died not too long ago, as a successor trustee I found out that he had left an inventory of monetary presents to be paid right away upon his death totaling virtually $ 1 million. The checklist is comprised completely of his relatives from every other u . s . a ., most of whom he had now not viewed in many years.
moreover, there are irregularities in one of the crucial named people on the listing (one is useless, any other no person ever heard of, and that’s just for starters). This leads me to imagine he was once not totally of sound thoughts at the time he wrote the list. He didn’t leave one penny to his spouse of 60 years (my mom), except for their household home, while he used to be alive. He additionally a great deal over-estimated the value of their estate.
after I discussed all this with our estate lawyer as a achievable cause to contest this component of the trust, he stated the criticism would now not be considered valid and discouraged me from going ahead with any courtroom action. My intestine tells me that because the present list used to be written actually days earlier than he died, and is filled with questionable allotments, there may be a lot of causes for contesting it. What do you think?
Harvey
expensive Harvey,
The clue is within the headline.
Assuming that your father had not fallen out together with his household (and even supposing there have been problems), there’s surely one thing fishy about changing his belief days ahead of he died, leaving $ 1 million to a gaggle of loved ones who’re both useless or a ways, a ways away and effectively disinheriting his fast household. What makes this all of the more confusing is the executor of your father’s property tells you that there’s nothing occurring and you will have to accept all of this as if you’re residing in an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” The executor is either incompetent or knows greater than he is letting on.
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an individual signing criminal documents must be of “sound thoughts, memory and understanding.” In legalese: His or her mental capability will probably be presumed if the testator left instructions which seems to be rational and accommodates no irregularities. unfortunately, that doesn’t seem like the case here. there are many irregularities right here and none of it appears to be rational. consult a legal professional, petition the probate court within the county where your father died to appoint an unbiased executor, outlining your concerns. (It’s not the first time i’ve advised someone try this this week.)
Don’t sit down back and notice your family’s $ 1 million inheritance disappear like this reader. Take motion now sooner than it’s too late.
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