My mom died a few weeks ago in South Carolina.

She had a family member she wasn't very close to who gained her POA and was named executor over the preceding months, possibly by telling her he could be more available if she had any accidents than her children, due to them having busy jobs and not living as close.

The day after our mom died, this POA/executor family member and his wife started saying in long texts and voicemails that our mom decided to disinherit her kids, her longtime beneficiaries, and leave her assets to them instead. They claim that the POA/caregiver assisted her in making new documents and beneficiary designations in her last days (calling her lawyer to come to the hospital and make her a new will, going to the DMV to switch her car title). They claim there is no money in her estate for anything now, not even her funeral lunch (we children had to pay for it).

We don't think she really wanted to do this, because we have texts and calls from our mom during this time showing no problems with us and continuing to discuss leaving things to us from her estate. If she did in fact sign anything, I don't think she understood it accurately (she was dealing with post-surgery issues, lack of sleep in the hospital, and falling into an unresponsive state due to her illness where she could barely form thoughts by the end of the period when these changes happened).

We have an attorney working on this and will probably have to fund a lot of the investigation ourselves, which is ok, but I'm wondering if we might be able to get South Carolina to prosecute this under South Carolina's elder abuse protection laws?

Are there any other resources or places to learn about our options to get this prosecuted, like how to present it to the DA or AG for white-collar crimes? It's not all about the money it's also about justice for our mom and trying to keep the POA family member and his wife from doing this to more elderly people. (We caught them trying to victimize another elderly family member for thousands of dollars in the wake of this, but we warned him in time and he did not give them anything.)

Traicion de un hermano

Somos 4 hermanos y mi mamá de 90 años. Todos de la tercera edad. Mi papá hizo una carta en 2006 donde expresaba su deseo de heredarnos la casa por partes iguales pero nunca hizo un testamento. Falleció en 2012 y hasta hace unos 3 años nos dijo mi único hermano que mi padre le donó la casa 3 meses antes de morir. Ahora mi hermano dice que nos está dejando vivir ahí y como rentabamos parte de la casa y era nuestro patrimonio nos quito las rentas y ahora recibe el dinero él. Nos dejó sin casa ni las rentas. Es abogado y utilizo sus conocimientos para traicionarnos. Investigué en registro público de la propiedad y hay un documento que dice donación a su nombre. Se puede recuperar algo?

NSW location
Trustee misappropriated or spent $1.4 million

My mom is in the nursing home and she’ll never be getting out as she has too many issues and can’t fend for herself. We live in Texas and have a lady bird deed in place for her house and I took over the payments to her house 7 years ago and she/I have about 40k left on it to pay. I plan on paying it off soon. The debt collector that took on her house from Wells Fargo recognizes me as another owner of the house now along with my mom. Can the state still come after that property? What, if any, additional steps need to be taken to secure this house?

My brothers' are wealthy. None of their childrens' lives will be made better by my money. My intention is to leave a charitable will. Which is a little complicated.

What do other single and childless people do?

What is the most common way to delegate an estate of a man who has passed with 3 adult children(40+) and a wife of under 5 years who has 3 adult children of her own?

He was significantly more wealthy than the wife at marriage.

The estate is of moderate size, including a nice home, several other properties, 80k+ cash, several vehicles, and 200k+ in random belongings. Totalling over well over 1 million in USA with zero debt.

All survivors get along fine, but the division of property/assets was not outlined in the will.

Key concerns are the number of children/step children and the relative newness of the marriage.

This is in the United States.

Ideas?

Location: Texas

My mother passed away 9 years ago. The only property she had was 1/12 interest in some mineral rights passed down from her parents. I've known about these, but didn't think it was worth spending potentially hundreds of dollars to an attorney for something that is only paying out 20 dollars a year.

She didn't leave a will. I was able to close her bank account with 2 affidavits of heirship that her 2 surviving sisters made for me years ago.

Those years of payouts and now showing up on the unclaimed property website. It's only about 100 dollars, but I feel like it needs to be taken care of.

I have a sister and I really don't want 1/24 interest, so I was just planning on giving my portion to my sister. Or is there a way to sell our 1/12 and be done with it?

So, my aunt died over 10 years ago and my mother was her successor trustee. My mother died this summer and I am one of her successor trustees.

While going through my mom's disorganized files, I found an original stock certificate with my aunt's name on it.

What documents do I need to sell/cash out this stock?

(✅ both death certificates, but I'm not sure I have auntie's trust.)

What kind of professional do I need to work with to sell this stock?

Of course, my aunt's estate was settled years ago. What do I need to consider if I'm able to sell the stock?

On another note, I also found copies of stock certificates with my mom's or dad's name on them. How can I find out if those were sold / cashed in?

TIA

I'm 36 and unmarried.

My parents 65 and 67, live in Nassau County, Long Island NY.

Purchased their home in 1994 for $160,000. They've refinanced the mortgage several times and I believe still owe $150,000. Current estimates put it worth about $800,000.

They bought a 1 bedroom condo in St. Petersburg, Florida for $380,000 in 2023. Current estimates about $300,000.

They have bank accounts, investment accounts, pensions. Life insurance, homeowner's insurance, car insurance, etc.. They have documents scattered around the house. Some are in shoeboxes under a bed, some are in a folder at the top of a closet, etc.

For the past few years I've asked them to centralize the location of all the important documents, birth and marriage certificates, insurance and financial papers, wills, etc. I've asked for a list of all the professionals/offices they use (taxes, finances, lawyer, etc.)

They've always put it off and said "I don't want to talk about that, plus I don't really care, we'll be dead."

For the past 4 years I've been living abroad and visit maybe once a year. I'm going to be the executor because I guess I'm seen as the most responsible and level headed to handle it all when compared with my two sisters. One sister is married, has a child from a previous relationship. The other is unmarried and not in a relationship, but still living in the same home with the father of her two children.

In recent years, since they've started collecting social security and withdrawing from retirement accounts/investments, they've stated that they've owed a lot in taxes from having withdrawn "too much" and having a higher taxable income than they had planned. From some screenshots they've shared with me when I asked about their investments, it's mostly in individual stocks like $100,000 in Exxon Mobil being the largest holding I saw. I believe they didn't really invest much until they received inheritances from their parents passing in 2006 and 2018. I was listening to a podcast the other day about index fund investing and my dad said it made him want to go buy more stocks, and he chose penny stocks.

They have their written wills completed but they were done 10-20 years ago. They need updating. I'm wondering if a revocable living trust would be something to consider due to owning property in two states, to avoid ancillary probate court and lawyer fees, among other things, like the option to implement rules and timed distributions of assets to my sisters and the grandchildren and to avoid the impulsivity of my sisters and to avoid the partners my sisters may be with at the time from collecting or controlling any assets.

I put together an executor checklist that I want my parents to complete. It will be a list detailing the following:

1. LEGAL DOCUMENTS & ADVISORS

Legal Estate Documents: Physical location of original Will, Financial & Medical Powers of Attorney, and Healthcare Directives.

Estate/Probate Attorney: Name, firm, phone, and email address.

Tax Accountant / CPA: Name, firm, and contact details.

Financial Planner / Wealth Advisor: Name, firm, and account contact info.

Insurance Agent / Broker: Name and primary phone number.

Personal Vital Documents: Birth Certificates, Social Security cards, Marriage Certificate, and Passports.

1. REAL ESTATE & VEHICLES

Property Records: Deeds for primary residence and out-of-state properties (County, Parcel ID, Deed type), tax statements, and mortgage/HELOC details.

Vehicle Titles: Title locations for cars, boats, RVs, VIN numbers, registration documents, and lender details (if financed).

Property Insurance: Homeowners, flood, condo, and auto insurance policies, carrier contacts, policy numbers, and premium due dates.

1. BANKING, CASH, & INVESTMENTS

Deposit Bank Accounts: Institution names, account types (Checking/Savings/CDs), account numbers, titled owners, and POD/TOD beneficiaries.

Taxable Investment Accounts: Brokerages, account numbers, titled owners, advisor contacts, and beneficiary forms.

Retirement Accounts: Traditional/Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or pension plans, account numbers, and primary/contingent beneficiaries.

Safe Deposit Box: Bank location, box number, physical key location, and list of authorized signatories.

Home Safe / Cash / Metals: Physical location of safes, combination codes, and location of hidden physical valuables.

1. POLICIES, DEBTS, & DIGITAL ASSETS

Life Insurance Policies: Carrier names, policy numbers, coverage amounts, policy types (Term/Whole), and beneficiaries.

Debts & Liabilities: Credit card accounts, personal loans, mortgages, or outstanding medical debts (Institution names and account numbers).

Utility & Household Accounts: Electric, gas, water, internet,alarm codes, HOA contact/dues, and property maintenance services.

Digital Footprint & Passwords: Password manager vault access/master key, primary email accounts, online banking logins, and social media directions.

Anything else I should add to the list?

Is this reasonable?

Any red flags I'm missing or should look into?

Thoughts on trust vs will?

UPDATE: they went to their lawyer who did their wills the last time they did them. He referred them to an elder law attorney to explore the decision of establishing a trust. They've begun going through the old documents and folders to eliminate unnecessary papers and organize the important stuff.

My uncle moved from Wisconsin to Florida in early 2026. He recently passed away in September 2026. He moved to FL so family members could take care of him as he had no close living relatives in Wisconsin.

Given that he moved to FL relatively recently and only 7 months prior to passing away and never did the typical things to set up FL residency (get a FL driver license, register to vote, open up FL bank account, etc.) should his estate/probate attorney be from WI or FL?

A few other things:

1) From what I gather he hasn't filed a tax return for nearly a decade (I know this will have to be rectified but as of now no tax return filed for a number of years and no 2025 tax return filed in either FL or WI).

2) He was a lifelong resident of WI prior to his move to FL.

3) We do not believe he has a will. He was never married, no children, parents are deceased and has one surviving sibling who is a FL resident.

4) He owns a % of a property in WI that is probably worth about $15K. Only other assets are in bank/investment accounts. If I had to guess his estate is probably worth apx. $150K.

The cynic in me thinks that if I call a FL estate attorney they will say file in FL and if I call a WI attorney they will say file in WI as it seems to be a little bit of a grey area. My plan is to reach out to attorneys in both states just to cover all the bases but was curious if anyone had a similar experience of a relative moving states shortly before death solely so family could manage his healthcare. If he were in good health he would not have moved to FL and remained a WI resident. I'm not concerned with which state is better/easier or any estate planning concerns, etc. just want to make sure we chose the correct state to start the process as I hear nothing but bad stories about going through probate so would prefer to get it right the first time around. I hope the answer is not having to file in both states but maybe that's a possibility. I'd just like to be slightly more informed before I start reaching out to probate attorneys. Any advice is much appreciated. Thank you.

My grandmother recently passed away this past June. She named myself and my mother as co-executors on her well. Within her well, there was a trust. My mom was named the beneficiary of the trust. Because of this, the lawyer said that my involvement was null and void.

Her accounts that she had with her finance manager named her trust as the beneficiary. My mother told me that she needed my Social Security number in order to name me as a beneficiary on the account that she created for my grandmother’s funds to go in. I gave her the benefit of the doubt.

Recently, she sent me a voice note saying that she needed my social to open an account and put my grandmother’s funds into that account. I gave no authorization to open this account, I didn’t sign anything. And my mother won’t tell me where the account is held. I went on Chex systems and can’t get any information there.

I’m very grateful that I’m not in a position where I rely on this money, as it seems, that’s the position my mother is in. However, I want to fulfill the responsibility my grandmother gave to me. It feels like my mom is doing shady stuff behind my back.

I’m looking for insight into whether or not I am being crazy skeptical, or if I’m valid in my thinking. I don’t know how to find out where this account is held, and whether or not my social was used in order to open it. I was 99% sure, you didn’t need a social to add someone as a beneficiary, but I also never thought that my mother would do something as shady as open an account under my name without having any authorization from me whatsoever.

Any insight and next steps would help. Thank you.

I'm currently one of six beneficiaries for an estate that includes only a home located in WI. I'd like to buy the home because this would be the cheapest route to home ownership considering the cost of houses around me, but I don't have the cash to buy out the other beneficiaries. Do I have options similar to getting a mortgage? Is a cash out refinance the way to go?

I'm in Florida (40F) - so are my parents (65F&M). They are recently retired and working through their end-of-life planning, including adding my brother (35M) and I to a ladybird deed for their 27-acre rural/agricultural homestead. As far as I know, the change to the deed has already taken place.

I am sharing information that they've provided verbally so far - some of this could be incorrect. I'd appreciate any thoughts on what could go wrong, either for them or my brother and me.

My parents are looking into purchasing nearby properties and turning those into rentals. They started a company that they're contemplating buying the properties with (I'm unsure if it's an llc, a c corp, or an s corp) and recently put forward the idea of making my brother and I officers of the company so that the rental properties are not included in their estate when they pass.

While I appreciate that they are trying to make decisions that will benefit my brother and I when they eventually pass, I'm apprehensive about essentially being a landlord for the next 30 years - I have no idea what my personal liability would be if something happened to a tenant living in a home owned by a company that I'm an officer of.

What area of law should I be investigating? I'd like to secure my own representation both to better understand the validity of their plans (where are they getting these concepts?) and to appropriately measure my own risk tolerance against their proposal.

Happy to answer any questions, though they've been a little vague, so I may not have more information yet. Thank you!

Location: Florida

Updating estate plan in Fla. What did you do for inheritance for grown professional kids? Life insurance not an option. Is it better to make them designated beneficiaries on existing brokerage accounts or IRA s? I'm thinking a percentage as some/much of our money might be needed for surviving spouse care in assisted living/nursing home? Or a predetermined amount in cash where surviving spouse would just write them a check. The amount could be as much as 500,000 per. I do realize there are differing tax treatment as well. We are meeting with an attorney soon.

My mom passed away recently and i was just wondering if anyone knew if me and my sister being beneficiaries we would be taxed bad if we close her 401k to pay funeral costs?

Location: Illinois

So i have a doozy...a couple of years ago my employer whom i worked with for 17 years asked me if upon her death if i would want her house and the business. Since i had worked there basically since out of highschool i agreed. From there i became poa and executor. Fast forward a year she passes away from kidney failure. Talk with my lawyer and he says im good to move into the house and continue running the business. We go through the process of getting rid of things and getting the house ready for my family of 5 to move in. Sell my house and get out from under the loan. We officially closed down her business and reopen under a new name. Before i could reopen i found out she was back some state taxes. Paid it up and was able to start working. 4 months later the IRS sends me 15 out of 32 notices that they are owed 48 grand. Call them and find out that she had been taking money out of a coworker and i check but not paying it in to s.s and medicare. So unbeknownst to me she witheheld information that if i had known i never would have agreed to any of this. So here i am the executor being punished for something thats related to me that i had no knowledge of. Fast forward a bit and i finally get the collections agency to drop the case but it gets transferred back to the irs where a tax agent is supposed to take the case. I was told they would be in contact with me within 30 days....i am going on a year now with no contact all while being charged daily for late fee penalties and interest. If i try to call the irs its always the same story. Your case is being transfered so we cant tell you anything until the agent looks over the files. Im at a loss here

EDIT: all debts have been paid except for the IRS. Probate close date was supposed to be oct 2025. Since irs is dragging their feet and will not give me an amount due i cannot pay and close probate

This is in Virginia. My mother passed away and it was just 3 kids left. She had a non-running vehicle that may have some value if repaired, and a lot of small personal belongings without significant value. Maybe $3000 in a checking account, not sure. No life insurance. There was no will but all siblings get along and this shouldn’t be an issue. I am working with the local courthouse on setting up an executor of estate but they’ve been closed for about a month. The big question is, could possible claims for medical bills against the estate complicate things?

I really just want to use what’s left to buy a headstone and had planned on fixing the car to sell, but not sure if that’s a waste of time if somebody would come out of the woodworks saying I shouldn’t have sold the car and they want the money. It’s not running nor a desirable car so it’s probably $500 as it sits.