Blog & Resources

From Our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: “Reasons to Request a Formal Accounting From a Burlington County, Personal Representative.” What Are Examples of When to Request a Formal Accounting From a Burlington County Executor: Reasons to Request a Burlington County Formal Accounting: Suspected Estate Asset Mismanagement. Mrs. Moorestown named her daughter, Florence, […]

From Our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: “Reasons to Request a Formal Accounting From a Lehigh County Executor.” What Are Examples of When to Request a Formal Accounting From a Lehigh County Executor: Reasons to Request a Formal Accounting: Suspected Mismanagement of Estate Assets. Mrs. Allentown died leaving a Will which named […]

From Our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: “What are Examples of Forcing a Power of Attorney to Account?” Examples of Forcing a Power of Attorney to Account: The executor is Given Unsatisfying Answers. Mr. Blue Bell died with a Will naming his son, Jenkintown, as his executor. During Mr. Blue Bell’s life, […]

From Our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: “When Should a Bucks County Executor File a Formal Accounting?” When Should a Bucks County Executor File a Formal Accounting: When the Beneficiaries Refuse to Sign an Informal Accounting. Mr. Doylestown died with a Will naming his son, New Hope, as his executor. Mr. Doylestown’s […]

From Our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: “What Are Reasons to Request a Formal Accounting From an Executor.” What Are Reasons to Request a Formal Accounting From an Executor: Theft. Mr. Philadephia died with a Will naming his son, Montgomery, as his executor. The Will divides his estate equally between his four […]

From Our “Ask a Question” mailbag: “My mother died in Montgomery County, PA, and set up a trust for me in her will. The Trust pays out now that I am 40. I recently found out the trustee failed to pay the Trust’s income taxes for ten years. How do I prove that he committed a breach of fiduciary duty? Can I make him pay the interest and penalty?”

From Our “Ask a Question” mailbag: “My Uncle died 4 months ago in Burlington County, New Jersey. I am in the Will. How long does it take to get an Inheritance?”

The time it takes to get an inheritance can vary widely between estates in New Jersey. Many factors that can impact a Personal Representative. The concern I have is that the Personal Representative is not adequately communicating his or her plan of action. An Executor or Personal Representative should clearly communicate to you an estimate of when you are receiving your inheritance.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I am the executor of my father’s estate in Bucks County. My sister and I do not speak, so the process has been terrible. She refuses to sign the family settlement agreement I sent her, and instead has petitioned the Orphans’ Court to make me account. Do I need to respond?

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My husband received a small sum from his aunt’s estate. We looked up the will ourselves at the Camden County Surrogate, and we believe he should have gotten more. The executor will not answer our questions. What can we do?

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My mother has Alzheimer’s, and my uncle has been handling her money for several years as her power of attorney. My sister and I are not given any information about how he is handling her money. Recently, he took his family on a long cruise that I know he could never afford on his own money. My sister and I feel he must have used our mother’s money to pay for his vacation. What can we do?

Your mother’s Power of Attorney names your uncle as her “Agent.” As Agent, he has a fiduciary duty to use those powers to care for your mother. In Pennsylvania, the Agent is given broad powers and very little oversight, but an interested person being able to easily get a court order for the Agent to account for every penny counter balances this flexibility.