Blog & Resources

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: Before she died, my mother lived in my Philadelphia home and required around-the-clock care, which I provided. My brother and sister did not even visit. Now that she has died, her estate is being divided up between us and my siblings refuse to compensate me for all the work I did caring for our mom. Can I make a claim to be paid?

Your mother’s estate is to be divided up between the heirs as her will dictates, or through the rules of intestacy if she had no will. Prior to the division of the assets, all creditors will be paid. If you have no agreement showing that you were doing the work for a fee, it will be difficult to prove that you are a creditor.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My brother has filed a will with the Surrogate that I believe is not my mother’s will. I want to contest the will, but how long do I have to file the will challenge?

Once the will is filed and accepted by the Surrogate, to challenge the will you must have a complaint filed in the proper format with the New Jersey Superior Court Clerk. If you are a New Jersey resident, you only have four months to file the complaint. if you live outside New Jersey, you have six months.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: Who will get my Phillies baseball tickets at my death? I have season tickets and I go to most games. So, if I died during the season, I would have all the remaining tickets for that season. But, who would be able to buy the seats the following year? My will does not specifically say who gets the tickets. All my assets are divided between my two children, but they do not get along and they both would like the tickets. (But only one can really afford to pay for them each year.)

If your will says that all assets are divided equally between your children, then your remaining Phillies seasons Tickets would be part of that calculation. Your kids could split them equally, or one child could take them and the other some other asset of equal value.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My husband died many years ago and is buried in Florida. I moved back to New York and plan to die a New Yorker. It is important to me that at my death I am buried here in New York. The problem is that my only son is my executor and he wants to bury me with my husband in Florida. I feel that after I die he will not respect my wishes. How do I make sure my wishes are respected?

New York gives you the power to nominate a person in your will who controls all aspects of your funeral arrangements and internment. It is important in your case to utilize that power, otherwise at your death your son as executor and as the only child will have complete control.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: < strong>My estate is worth about $4,000,000, which includes a $1,000,000 life insurance policy. At my death, my estate passes to my two children. Now that the Federal Estate Tax Exemption is at $5,000,000.00, what good is an Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust for me?

In rough terms, as long as your estate stays under $5,000,000.00 (adjusted for inflation) at your death your estate will not owe any Federal Estate Tax, but you are a resident of Camden County, New Jersey, so you are forgetting about the New Jersey Inheritance Tax and the New Jersey Estate Tax. If your assets pass to your children, the New Jersey Inheritance Tax will be zero, but the New Jersey Estate Tax taxes all assets over $675,000.00.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: Does the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax include my mother’s antiques?

If your mother died a Pennsylvania resident, then the estate must pay the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax on the fair market value of all of her taxable assets, including her antiques.

If these antiques are passing to you, the tax rate will be 4.5%, due within nine months of her death.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: One of four siblings is now deceased since death of our parents. Do the deceased sibling’s three children or his surviving spouse inherit his share of the estate?

There are two different answers depending on the order of the deaths.

If your sibling died first, and then the surviving parent died without a will, then that parent’s probate estate is divided up under the New Jersey intestacy rules which give 1/4th share to each surviving child and a 1/4th share to be split among the deceased child’s children. Your sibling’s spouse receives nothing.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My son is getting married this fall and his fiancé refuses to sign a prenuptial agreement. I am worried that if I die, his share of my estate will end up going to her in a divorce. What can I do?

As part of your estate plan, we could incorporate in your will a trust to hold your son’s share of the estate. Simply put, if your money pours into a properly drafted trust rather than into your son’s hands, then your future daughter-in-law will have no claims to the assets in a divorce.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I am named as the executor in my mother’s will, but my family does not get along at all. Already, disagreements about the sale of land have become heated. If I agreed to serve as executor, can I be sued if my family has disagreements?

As the executor, you are a fiduciary, owing the beneficiaries a duty to act in their best interests. You will be given broad powers. To counter these powers, the beneficiaries are given the right to Petition the Orphan’s Court to review your actions and, if the court would find that any action of yours diminished their inheritance, to surcharge you (fine you) to make them whole.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My mother died and left us her house. We got two appraisals, which were near the value listed for real estate taxes. Then, we received a cash offer for a higher amount. Do we pay taxes on the appraisal amount, or the amount we will now sell the house for?

You have an argument for both values, but be careful! The Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax is based on the value of the house on the date your mother died. So, you could argue that the appraised value is correct and that the house simply went up in value after her death. This would mean listing a smaller number on the Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Return, which you would think means less tax.

Not necessarily so!