Blog & Resources

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I am the executor of my Dad’s will (he is alive and living in Atlantic County). I would like to make a minor change to his will. My Dad agrees to the change. Do I need a lawyer to change the will?

Each competent person over the age of 18 can have a will, but only that person can change or modify the will. Your dad is free to change the will if he is still competent. The Executor is the person who carries out the terms of the will after death, so right now you have no power to do anything, especially make changes.

Given your question, if the change benefits you over the other heirs, you are setting yourself up for a Will Challenge, lots of angry family members and lot of expensive litigation. Your dad should contact an experienced New Jersey Estate Planning Lawyer—without you being involved in any manner—and have that attorney make the change.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: After her divorce, my daughter moved into a rental property I own to get on her feet. She was supposed to pay rent, but never has. It now appears she will not be moving out. I don’t want to make an issue of it now. But, if I die, that property is supposed to be sold and the money divided up equally between my two children. If she refuses to move, selling the property will be a problem. Any suggestions?

Recognizing the problem is a good beginning. First, you should revisit whom you have named as the Personal Representative in your will. This person need be firm enough and diplomatic enough to handle this problem. You should consider naming a neutral party to reduce conflict between your children.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My mother died four months ago as a resident of Camden County and my sister and I cannot locate her will. We thought it thought it would be in the safe deposit box, but it was not. I cleaned out all of her papers in the house. Now, I think I may have accidentally thrown out the will. What can we do?

If your mother’s will cannot be located, then your mother is considered to have died “intestate,” meaning without a will. When someone dies without a will in New Jersey, the New Jersey Rules of Intestacy apply. These rules dictate who is eligible to serve as the Administrator of the estate and how your mother’s assets will be divided up. If we can find a copy held by the lawyer, it is possible to file the copy, but I would need to know more facts.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My Dad passed away this month. When he died, I found out that I was still on his Gloucester County lease as a cosigner. The lease was signed in 2011. I had moved out in 2013, letting the management company know that I wanted off the lease. When I asked if the management company had anything for me to sign, they replied ‘no’. When I moved out, my Dad had let his brother, his brother’s son, and his brother’s grandson move in. They are still there and the landlord knows of the situation, asking them for money for every day they have been there past May. At best, when my Dad died I thought I would be morally obligated to remove my Dad’s property and clean. Instead, the feeling I am getting is that the landlord wants to hold me responsible for damages, utilities, and possible future rent. Dad had nothing and I am a stay-at-home mom of special needs children.

You have mentioned a number of potential issues. First, the only person who has the authority to act for your dad after he has died is the Personal Representative of his estate (if he had a Will) or the Administrator of his estate (if he had no Will). It sounds like your dad (or his estate) owes the landlord some money.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My aunt’s will names me as her Personal Representative and divides the estate between all of her nieces and nephews. We are not a close family and there have been disputes in the past. I am worried that my cousins will be angry that I was named the Personal Representative and may cause trouble. Can they sue me as the Personal Representative?

If you agree to be sworn in by the Surrogate as the estate’s Personal Representative, you will then have a fiduciary duty to all beneficiaries to act in their best interest. You will be given broad powers and be largely unsupervised by the Surrogate.

To counter these broad powers, the beneficiaries are given the right to petition Surrogate’s Court to review every action and expense. Should the court find that any action of yours reduced their inheritance, the judge could choose to surcharge you (fine you) to make up for any loss.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: My father died recently. I have been told he had a will done in 2007, but I can’t find it. Where would it be registered?

A will is not usually registered anywhere until the person dies. Normally, it is kept by the lawyer who drafted the will or in a safe location in the house. If you didn’t find it in the house or in a safe deposit box, then you are left to backtrack over time to find the lawyer. This can be a challenge.

My firm sends out summaries of the documents we draft every 4 months to stay in contact with our clients. The attorney who drafted your father’s will may have a similar practice, so watch the mail. Probate is started by having the executor named in the will file the will with the Surrogate. If you can’t find a will, then you can open the estate via Administration. It would be wise to retain an experienced probate lawyer to help you and, if you think there maybe conflict with siblings if there is no will, retain a firm experienced with estate related litigation.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I love my partner, but she is terrible with money. If I leave her an inheritance, it will be spent quickly and she will be left with nothing. How do I leave her an inheritance but protect it for her?

Recognizing your partner’s inability to handle money allows you to set up an estate plan that can help make sure that your partner will always have enough money. There are many ways to set up a trust for his benefit. The best option will depend on what type of assets you have and how much flexibility you wish to give the Trustee.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I am the Personal Representative for my mother’s estate. I have paid all of the creditors and have distributed the estate to my siblings and myself. I don’t think I have anything left to do, how do I close the estate?

Saying that an estate is “closed” is a misnomer, as the estate is never, really closed. The term refers to when the final assets of the estate are distributed, which normally means that the Personal Representative has no further work to perform. This takes place after the family settlement is signed.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I had a Revocable Living Trust created several years ago, but I have not put anything into it. I own my Philadelphia home, a few bank accounts and investment accounts. I want everything to pass to my daughter at my death, but she lives in California, so I want the transfer to be easy. Should I move my house from my name into the Revocable Trust?

The goal you have stated in forming your Revocable Living Trust was to make things easier on your daughter who lives in California. Though your intentions are good, without moving the house into the trust you really have done nothing to help her.

The basic idea surrounding a Revocable Living Trust is that during your lifetime you either move your assets into the trust or you set things up so that at your death, they pour into the trust.

From our “Ask a Question” mailbag: I was told that I should make the Irrevocable Trusts I am setting up for my children “Spendthrift” Trusts. What does that mean, and what is the advantage of a Spendthrift Trust?

A Spendthrift Trust refers to an Irrevocable Trust created for a beneficiary that does not give the beneficiary the right to assign his or her interest in the trust to a third person, so that the trust assets are not subject to the beneficiary’s liabilities or creditor claims.