A loved one died and I need help! |
  |
 What estate planning documents did the loved one have? |
 |
||
| Do I need to file a probate? |
|||
 How do I manage this process when I live far away? |
|||
 Can I administer the estate from a distant location? |
|||
| If I don't want to administer the estate, who else can do it? |
|||
| Who has priority to serve as the personal representative? |
 |
With a will, priority is given to the executors in order of designation. Otherwise, family members have priority to be appointed depending upon the legal proximity of their relationship to the deceased. For example, a spouse has priority over a child to serve as the personal representative, and a child would have priority over a nephew. If there is disagreement about who should be functioning in the role, the court will generally hold an evidentiary hearing (or trial) on the issue and may appoint one or more of the relatives or even an independent party. |
|
| The bureaucracy is holding everything up; what can I do? |
|||
| The person in charge is being secretive; what can I do? |
|||
| It appears that there is stealing from the estate; what can I do? |
|||
| The will or trust was changed under suspicious circumstances; what can I do? |
|||