Winding Up Legal Affairs After a Death

my fatherinlaws niece resigned as executor 1 week after his death..on paper....now shes froze bank accounts as his POA...she cant do that can she....what does my husband have to do now....

How long does a granddaughter ( that took care of her grandfather in home to his last moments) have to stay in his payed off home before she has to vacate?

mother passed away over 5 years ago, I need to sell her home, which is has not been paid off, and must divide the proceeds of the sale of the home between 5 siblings. What type of problems am will I encounter with taxes, etc? There is no money in a trust and I have been making monthly payments and paying the property taxes yearly since she passed.

how long does the executer of the estate have to pay off creditors and cash reciepient beneficiares of the will...after the creditor filling time is over where no one else can come forward and say you owe this

Winding up affairs after a death is naturally a complicated, often painful, situation... getting copies of the death certificate, assembling and organizing assets and liabilities... bank accounts, life insurance policies, annuities, investments, outstanding debts; monthly statements on the deceased's accounts, and on & on.. Which makes it very difficult for many of to understand how or why totally inexperienced executors are so often put in charge of complicated estates, or frequently biased and likewise inexperienced trustees are allowed to reign supreme over large valuable trusts. A trained estate or trust attorney, sure. But why are untrained people put into the role of executor, or trustee, and not put through at least a modicum of training on how such an important job should be handled! And yet thousands of estates and trusts are handled like this every year. And I have heard so many heirs and beneficiaries over the years complain about the mishandling of estates, paperwork filings, management of heirs, etc. No wonder so many heirs of estates like this get their own attorney to look over the proceedings. And heirs that don't have savings or strong cash flow and can't borrow from a bank or friends or family often will seek an advance on their inheritance or borrow money against their inheritance to pay for an attorney. This seems to motivate many heirs to tap their cards if they can, or ask friends for a loan, or apply for a loan on inheritance, and get a large enough inheritance advance or inheritance loan, rather than wait a year or more for probate to end so heirs can get their inheritance. Once they have their own attorney to look over their shoulder… you can see them visibly calm down. Even though disappointment in a smaller then expected inheritance sometimes spurs them on to get a probate loan or estate loan, so they can enjoy some of their inheritance right away, despite the lesser amount than they had hoped for. These heirs will look into inheritance loan companies online for inheritance advance rates and inheritance loan fees, so they can get fast probate cash at the best terms. They look at 72 hour inheritance loans, easy term probate loans, or loans on inheritance like 48 hour inheritance loan advances or probate cash advance funds against a trust, or whatever inheritance loans in advance, advance inheritance funds they can get, whatever you wish to call it. As soon as they are approved for a probate loan or estate loan from an established inheritance advance, inheritance loan, probate cash advance or niche probate loan company like www.heiradvance.com, www.inheritanceadvance.com, or maybe www.inheritancenow.com, the immediate probate cash seems to cause their anxiety or disappointment to lessen or disappear altogether. And that’s a good thing to see amidst such a stressful process. Especially if confidence in an executor or trustee is low.

My mom passed withoutawill.i need to take care of her property and bills....the value is less than 150.00.00...and I'm in need of advice on how I go about tjis

A family friend past away three years ago. He lived across the street from my in-laws. My mother in law took care of him in his home for years. She was also his power of attorney. The gentleman had no will or any living relatives. My mother in law still pays to keep up his yard as well as his taxes on his home. My question is... does she have any rights to his house?

My dad past away 2 yrs ago...everything was left to me in right of survivorship, except his home which was deeded to my sister and i the house was sold then there was a question who got my dad's 3rd, i hired an attorney, and my brother was in titled to a 3rd of my dad's 3rd...are my sister and i in titled to a 3rd of his estate? Which is the 3rd of the house in question? Does the attorney's bills get paid out of the estate? We had to open an estate to have me appointed as conservator.. is my brother entitled to full 3rd? I signed my check and a check to thee estate of Ronald J it's held in trust for 2 months...my sister and i do not feel my brother is in title to equal parts, that was not intended to go to him?

My mother recently died . A member of my family will not discuss what exactly my mother left can she keep this from the other siblings . Or does she have to tell them .

I'd like to share my experience with dementia of an elderly relative -- in response to the readers here who shared their issues with Alzheimer's and Dementia... Possibly it will be helpful to those with similar problems... A few years ago, I experienced saddening and costly problems with dementia, mainly with my grandfather at 98 years old, whom I had been very close with most of my life until he didn't even recognize me any more... Before my grandfather passed, and afterward, some heirs were not listed in the will, and so were considered missing heirs along with the unclaimed estate assets, or unclaimed inheritance assets. Many inheritance assets, money, bonds, and so on, went missing just because my grandfather was completely ill from dementia, and the lawyers had to step in and enlist the help of a top heir locator service, a probate and estate research firm with super heir search solutions, forensic genealogy experts, and probate researchers. The inheritance recovery, heir locator firm was a very sophisticated probate and estate research company... fortunately as good at identifying and locating missing heirs and beneficiaries to unclaimed estates -- as they were good at finding unclaimed inheritance assets. I had asked the attorneys to make sure the probate research firm could locate missing heirs and beneficiaries quickly. And to make sure the probate researchers had probate research investigation professionals on staff all the time, not just for certain cases. They were also supposed to be good at inheritance recovery, finding missing inheritance assets and funds. I also wanted their forensic genealogists, probate researchers and document specialists to know how to locate missing heirs out of the country, or find unknown heirs who are unaware of their inheritance possibly overseas. I wanted the heir locators and inheritance recovery staff to be able to spot fraudulent inheritance claims (from dishonest relatives!) by connecting legitimate heirs to unclaimed inheritance assets.... as famous organizations like the American Research Bureau, the well known www.arb.com or www.heirfinder.com team in Salt Lake City, Utah are well known for, before my corrupt uncle and cousins could grab any formerly unclaimed inheritance assets they might find out about. It was a nightmare, but the lawyers and probate research investigation pros saved the day.

my Mother s estate is in probate and one family member wishes to take his name from the will and not accept anything. he lives in another state. what does he need to sign and send back to us so we can continue on

Simple living trust with assets under 2 million. After distribution should there be a final accounting & formal notification of trust close out?

I have a sister that got a payout of $100,000 it's my understanding it was supposed to be split between me and my other sister and she spend it all she refuses to give us any paperwork or anything and I'm wondering what options I have to make her produce the paperwork or pay me and my sister what she was supposed to

My sister is the executor of my fathers will. She has not told any of us (3 siblings) anything that is in the will. She has not informed us of anything. She went into the safety deposit box and got the contents and we asked what was in it and she said nothing important. How can we find out? She's not asking us if we want his things like watch and other jewelry. We are not aware of anything. I know she is not following the law but I don't know what to do

My mom passed away after battling cancer for 15 years. She told us before she passed,(us as in me and my sister.) that she was leaving us with her half of the property to our childhood home. My father is still alive and owns the other half. But upon my moms passing we were never given a will and never signed anything. I have no experience in this feild but im being told by my uncle jeff that hes getting an attorney but he wont tell us why or anything thats going. My mom also had a safe that my aunt told me she was suppose to give us some valuble coins that mom was passing down. But when i told my aunt o never recieved anything or was told about any coins she said uncle jeff was probably stsaling them cause the key to the safe was suppose to go to me and my sister. He is the trustee so im not sure what im suppose to do at this point it will only be a month as of may 20th and im taking this kinda hard. So im asking for advise as i have no clue and was not informed before moms passing on whats to happen afterwards. Thankyou for your time.

My mother have died on 20th April 2016 they have two brother and one sister already they have died but sister have alive still now my moms mother have 4 kata assestes now how we get this assestes

What if we find out after going through legal channels that there may be a will? We checked everywhere but now we find out there may be a will. Are we out the cremation bill we paid and the bills we paid in general including legal expenses

Closing out my parents estate. Sending checks to my siblings according to the will. Do I just send a check to them or do I need to attach a copy of her assets that was left? I had an attorney to start with, but the attorney passed away before I was completed.

My dad passed away more than 10 years ago and I was the only person named in his will. I am also the executer of his will. He had a small investment fund that I now wish to cash out but I'm told that his will can no longer go to probate. How can I settle his estate and gain access to his investment account he left to me?

My mothers husband passed before their divorce was finalized, there is no Will that we know of, but there is property and finances to distribute, can someone help with what forms we must fill out to the courts here if Florida? Please and thank you in advanced

The Mother of deceased son was the heir of the probate . Then I was named the next in will if she passed away. She has passed before probate was finalized. Can I now inherit the estate or does the estate go to heirs.

Must my siblings and I go to an attorney or can we settle if there is already a will with articles and property assigned to specific members?

My siblings and I have our deceased parents' will. If there are no assets, but a home. If there is one of us appointed executor and there are no outstanding bills and a list of articles to be distributed, must we go through an attorney?

My mother passed 6 months ago. My sister is executor , however, is still grieving. We still have my mothers house and car as if everything is the same before the death. Is this ok or should my sister be moving on in the process?

What is to be done when monthly rents are controlled and spent without any accounting by the executor (trustee)?

Miss Friedman, Esq. has imparted some very useful information here in this article, and addresses "complications" and "disputes" after death in a fairly thorough manner... However, what I have always seen, with regards to Trust or Estate disputes, are the incredibly varied complications or conflicts between Heirs of Estate in Probate, or Beneficiaries of Trusts -- conflicts that are frequently personal in nature, and often not able to be easily resolved by an attorney. It's amazing that so many Estate or Trust situations surface problems between grown up Heirs or Beneficiaries usually with respect to how much money is to be shared by each member -- despite what the Will or Trust states, from the deceased mom or dad. Not always of course, but lately it seems often that when a remaining parent passes away, it's as if the glue that held the family group together disintegrates, and what remains are conflict and trouble between siblings and other family members that surface in the form of financial conflict, sometimes greed or frequently feelings of unfair inheritance distribution, so on and so forth. I always wonder why adult siblings and other family members – Heirs or Beneficiaries – can’t resolve inheritance problems in a fair minded way among themselves. At least during Probate there is a Probate Court to oversee the process. With Trusts, a lot of unfair things can happen… and sometimes do happen. Even when the money at stake is relatively modest, we’re not talking about millions for the most part. I suppose this sort of conflict often induces people to get an inheritance advance, inheritance loan, or cash assignment on their inheritance, soon after Probate begins, to have enough cash around to hire their own lawyer, or CPA. I frequently see Heirs looking into inheritance loans from well known, established inheritance advance companies like www.heiradvance.com, or www.inheritanceadvance.com, or www.inheritancenow.com -- just weeks after Probate has been filed. Inheritance loans are fast, one can have ready cash from an inheritance advance or probate loan usually in a matter of days after applying for a probate loan or inheritance advance for a Trust. Naturally, an inheritance advance is not necessary when folks have a lot of cash in the bank already… but a lot of Middle Class and even Upper Middle Class people these days do not have a lot of ready cash to access right away, and banks don’t provide Heirs with inheritance advances, inheritance loans, or probate loans. Don’t ask me why, they just don’t. It’s unfortunate that so many family members squabble over money. Or have to hire their own lawyer with cash from a quick inheritance advance, probate advance or inheritance loan… But they do, and you see this happen over and over again – so often in fact that I can guess what will happen next, when speaking with an Heir of an Estate in conflict, knowing that they are going to jump into the fray backed up by their probate loan, inheritance advance or inheritance loan funds – or their own money – protecting their inheritance interests with their own aggressive lawyer. It is unfortunate, however it’s something you see frequently these days… and I guess that’s just the way it is. A trend of some sort. Maybe family members in Estates will learn to get along better in the future. We can always hope.

My sister died in 2012 we left no will,my self and one other sister remain. I was her caregiver and power of attorney over health care and financial while she was living. Now she has property and a couple of bank accounts that we can't access. How can I become trustee or executor of the estate to see what is going on with the property and bank accounts. There are people living in the house that are not paying rent. We can not obtain the mail or any other correspondences being sent to the home.

how do i really know if an estate is closed?

My Uncle Died in Feb, 2013. In his will he left his entire estate to myself and my cousin 50/50. The Estate is just his house and property. My cousin was deemed the Executrix of the estate. Unfortunately, She died in Nov. 2013. I understand that her portion of the Estate will go to her husband and 2 children, (She had no will). I am being told that I do not have the authority to sell the house and property because the will was specific to Her and myself. I can't understand that as being true because it states in his will that if she cannot perform her duties for any reason, death included, that I will be the one to take over.

I would like some advice please, My mum passed away 2 years ago, very suddenly, she had no life insurance, so a month after she died I took out a small over 50's for my dad. My dad retired shortly after this, and now has his home outright owned, and some £ from his pension In the bank. I have been paying a over 50's plan for my dad, the payout on death isn't a great amount, just enough for his funeral expences, maybe a little left over,. My dad knows I have done this for him, ( but truthfully I didn't need to do so, as he has a bit in the bank/bonds), but it was peace of mind for him, to know I have done this. I have sisters and brothers who have not contributed towards any payment, as has not my dad, the reason of my Questioning is, after he dies and the funeral has been settled, if there is anything left over, do I have to share the remaining with my siblings?, I feel quite hurt about it, as all the see is £, the policy is only for just over £3000, just enough to give him and myself reassurance, I don't want to be made out I am selfish or greedy. My dad has a will and and as far as I am aware the house/£ will be shared equally with myself and my sisters/brothers but personally feel, they don't have the right to the remaining of this tiny policy.. Any professional advice greatly appreciated.

My 4 year old son passed away in June 2013 after a two year battle with cancer. My mother told me she had a life insurance policy on him as he was in the hospital getting ready to pass. She told me she had just recently gotten it and it would be enough to pay for funeral and burial expenses left over and or a headstone. His funeral was all covered except for a few hundred adollars which was donated but nothing was left for s headstone. I went into a depression and did not take care of the headstone. A few months later I asked my mom and sister about the money and all they had was $700. My mom had left my dad and used all the money on her new wardrobe and new life. I don't know exactly how much money she got. She said $3000. Or who it was through or exactly when it was purchased. What can I do?

Is it legal for a finacial advisor to determine the fee to be paid to the poa? Also, is it to be taken out of your inheritance given upon death to the benificiares , after you have inherit ,does her fee come from that money which was pod?

My mother died in Nov 2004 and my father never filed her death certificate at the court house. Is this legal? Since she died he has quit claim deeds to two sisters. The other 3 siblings was left out completely of everything. This is not what our mother stated. She said everyone got equal shares. So something happened over the last 9 years to our father that was probably influenced by the two younger sisters, since they now have everything. We are contesting and asking for probate.

After fleeing from the abuse, I rarely spoke to my husband. He died one month before our 19th anniversary but, no one bothered to tell me. I found out he'd passed while trying to contact him. What do I do next? Who do I call? He died here in AZ but, his obituary was in Oh, where he grew up.

What about my co trustee is pursuing to get some money from the estate, beside from the probate lawyer,he got another lawyer and presented some personal checks he paid while my aunt who was debilitated was still alive, they stayed in the apartment that my uncle owned and not paying any rent. Do I have to get another lawyer to preserve the money that is intended to the beneficiary?

When I got married we moved into the house with her farther, Then 6 years later he dies and the will says to splint the estate between the tree girls I paid everything and took care of him until he died Do I get any of that money back that I put in the estate so he would not lose it. They want to sell it.would they have to pay me back for anything since they did not help with nothing.

My husband died in 2006. I was deeded the house but was not on the mortgage. I have paid the mortgage since until may of this year when I ran into some financial problems. The bank wont talk to me because I am not listed on the mortgage. What am I to do?

If the deceased was a tax preparer and financial advisers to several individuals and small business owners, how do you go about closing out these affairs and getting documents back to owners?

Can you tell me if there is any time limit in Texas to distribute the assets from a will? I fell like there is some feet dragging in the process.

My mom went to heaven, her car has been sitting in my driveway for years and never said what to do with her car in the will...can I sell it?

I live in Washington state and my mother passed away in March of this year without a will. I am the oldest daughter and have 2 siblings who do not wish to be responsible for my mother's affairs. She left an insurance policy through her former employer (Post Office), with the beneficiaries being her five grandchildren. Her estate has a value, including the insurance policy of less than $12,000 dollars (money in her back account was used for her funeral). What do I need to do to become the executor or administrator, or is that even necessary?

My mom died before my grandmother so she left everything to be divide up between 3 childern my mom , and 2 brothers one brother is dead as well the lawyers with the will says we will get my mom half to share with sister BUT.. does my mom widower get it? instead?

I have lived with my grandfather for 10 years he is passing away with his cancer and I am worried that in his will he has left it all to my dad and aunty who I do not talk too therefore when the place is sold I will be homeless do I have any rights to the house at all?

My dad had a law suit done...he was not able to sign final document...he also was neglected..and fell in the hospital..twice..wich complicated thing...and he recently passed...can I continue his proceedings...and file new suits on his behalf...even though he passed..if so were do I start?

My 24 year old son died in a car accident, he lived in a different state then I did, what do I need to do to get in to his appartment to clean it out. and also close his bank account.

my mother passed away yesterday in collorado i am in nh.i have the coroners number and the apartment managers number where do i start

my mother dies in 2010 me and my kids took care of her she has a house which we live in now my sister are trying to make me sold her home they never helped her do anything to the home what can i do. and she left a medical bill now they are trying to send her home into probate

My sons possible father passed away a week ago. I just located him 2 weeks ago for a DNA test. Now I dont know what to do.

my dad died and i was soul person on the will,now my uncle died and left the asset to all his 5 brothers,since i had the only asset from my dad should i be the only person on the aset from his brother?

Hi Anonymous, Sorry to hear about the situation you described. To ask a question like this of experts and other caregivers on Caring.com, please visit the Ask & Answer forum: http://www.caring.com/ask Thank you!

I am having a problem trying to get my deceased brothers money out of the bank in Ohio, he just opened the account the day before he died & didn't have anyone else's name on the account. My brother was unemployed & moved from Illinois where I live to Ohio with a friend who was helping him try to find a job. He is divorced twice with 5 children between the two, only one of them is over 18 but she has a bad drug problem so we do not want her to get his money. I helped my brother after he was released from prison when nobody else would. I paid for getting him cremated & brought back to Illinois & I paid for his Memorial Service plus I helped him with so much more that is too lengthy to explain here. Him & I had been in an accident & he received a settlement from the other person's insurance that is the money he had in the bank & all he had to his name. I just would like the money back that I spent on his cremation & burial but I am unable to get it without putting more money into a lawyer. He has a little over $3000 & I was told it would cost me $1500 to get a lawyer & go thru probate, do you have any idea how I can get the money without paying any more into it? I am living on a fixed income & couldn't really afford to pay for his cremation & burial but there was nobody else in our family that could do it. Please help me!

Had trouble with step mom and siblings as I was executor as step mom was in nursing home. More info needs to be given by the parent so the major child isn't left clueless and having to fly by the seat of their pants. Had to ake decisions on disconnection on funeral arrangements that had to fall back on a uncle to help with.

IT is often difficult to address areas of Thanatology that are important to my Human Service students and to have them tthink beyond their own experiences with Death and Dying. I think this website is clear, concise and can lead to a lot of research in Massachusetts where we are from Thank you

I teach Death and Dying as one of my Human Service courses and am thrilled at the amount of factual information contained on this site. You can bet that that I will be setting a new assignment next semester. Thanks for the greatr iinformatrion and I would like to go on an mailing list if you have one

My mom passed away in April 2011 no living will and she Alzheimer's signed everything over to my sister to do her affairs do I have any rights here the only other daughter never received anything she had bank accounts a new car and a condo jewelry I know have rights can you help

My grandfather died and left money for my mother but she's deceased who has the writes to her claim

HERE IS ANOTHER ONE... MY MOTHER I WAS TOLD SHE HAD dementia, FOR THE LAST 5 YEARS OF HER LIFE, WE MY TWO OLDER BROTHERS, AND TWO YOUNGER BOTHERS WHERE NOT ALLOWED TO SEE HER, PER THE BABY OF THE FAMILY... SHE COULD NOT SIGN FOR ANYTHING, THEY KEPT HER SSI, THEY HAD HER SIGN OVER EVERYTHING TO HER SON IN LAW, 3 YEARS BEFORE SHE DIED, AND THE 5 OF US WHERE TOLD SHE LEFT US NOTHING, THIS HAPPENED IN 2007, .. WHAT CAN WE 5 DO????? TY

SO HOW DOES THIS WORK, IF, THERE IS NOT LIFE INSURANCE, NO STOCKS, BONDS, JUST A FEW 1 FORD VAN, 1 F350 FORD, PAID IN FULL, NORMAL BILLS, NOR ASSETS, NO MONTH INCOME OTHER THANK RETIREMENT, SO HOW DOES ONE DO THIS THEN?????

Can the spouse who is both the main beneficiary and executor of an estate legally withhold releasing the estate plan or at least the info related to beneficiarie? Can he/she just "sit-on" a will and/or deny the wishes of the deceased to pass certain properties to the children?

Hello Anonymous, I'm terribly sorry for the loss of your partner. You may find some helpful resources in our Grief and Loss Resource Center here: http://www.caring.com/grief (Please copy and past the web address in your browser). Kind regards, Sho of the Caring.com Community Team

HAD I KNOWN THESE THINGS. MY PARTNER WANTED TO DIE, DIABETIC. DID NOT EAT OR TAKE DIABETES MEDICATION,DRANK A LOT. CALLED 911 AND EACH TIME HE WAS BACK NEXT DAY BECAUSE HE SIGNED A RELEASE FORM.MOSTLY GAY HATE SEEMED TO DESTROY HIM COMPLETELY. I WAS LOSING HIM AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO. HE DID LEAVE US, HOW SAD. HE DIED EXTREMELY ANGRY.

My mother is in last stage dementia and bedridden...doing poorly at present..my question is: she has no money..only SS..no estate to speak of just a few momento's from over the years...she lives with me and has for 6 years....when my dad passed away 12 years ago he had no savings either...what do you do? is there an estate? or do i just send the SS office her death certificate and it is done? I am at a loss here ..thanks for any input...

nothing that i can think of...made me more insightful as my spouse has passed recently.

do i still have to list our bank accts. and annuities etc even if everything was joint?

Some creditors want a certified copy of the death certificate and some don't. Your children are not responsible for your credit card debt after you are deceased. Only a spouse. But you know they will still call and send bills. If you own anything or have any bank accounts put your kids name on them or it will all be taken away. As for a funeral.. A simple cremation can be found very cheap. They can hold a service anywhere. Scattering gardens are inexpensive. I'm sure you have people who love you and will help you and your family. I hope I was of some help.

I am 55 and in ill health. I am on Social Security, I have no money to even pay for a funeral. I do have debt, around $3500 in credit card debt. My children haven't any money to even cremate me. Will my creditors want a copy of my death certificate? Do they have to be certified or is a copy good enough?

What will? My mother didn't have one. She had one life insurance policy for $2,000. My sister and I paid $10,000 for a simple creamation, memorial service and burial. That was our mother and we didn't have any second thoughts it was now our responsibility to take care of mom. A few bill collectors didn't get it and would call us to get payment things that were very miminal. We told them we were sorry but she no estate. They let us know we weren't responsible for any of her debts but kept calling as if we were going to pay it. My older sister let them have it when they called ... they haven't called again. I learned a little bit, I have to get another life insurance policy to cover funeral costs since I only have a $5,000 policy my mom bought when I was much younger and a life insurance policy I have at work. But what happens if I no longer work there? I also need a living will. A lot of us were never educated about death and all the things involved. Mom and I were so close and I miss her so much.

my daughter great grandma just pass, but her uncle Trey, is not coming up with the will grandma left to him. what can we and the rest of the family do?

P.S. Real estate property was specified in the revocable Trust, but mother's individual, specific bank accounts and savings instruments were not. This was the reason given for requiring an actual in-bank visit by our fragile and ill mother. One "online banking" entity would speak to my sister or me if our mother was on an extension phone and passed the "secret questions" screening--difficult to arrange because she was in a skilled nursing facility with no privacy. But then the followup calls with one of us and without mother were total "black holes," and we got nowhere with the promises that had been made by the bank.

My mother had a few savings instruments with banks and other entities in the name of her revocable Trust. Fortunately we were able to have her do a letter at one bank to turn over the administration of one of these Trust accounts to my sister and me so that the income to the Trust could be passed through to her checking account, which we were both on. Otherwise paying for some of her care the last two years would have necessarily come out of our personal cash flow. Banks don't do notarization, and it was difficult to get her to a notary for this transaction. The other bank insisted she had to come to the bank to withdraw the money. That wasn't possible, and our documented status as Successor Trustees and mother's pour-over will didn't help us with these other entities until she passed away. A real surprise was the need to show her Health Care Power of Attorney/Living Will at the mortuary.

My husband is dying from brain cancer, is there anything I need to know of what to do when he passes?

Gifts to Caregivers having a maximum amount

This article helps alot, when you just don't know where to begin whatever your situation may be

Hi 'shirpoindext­er', Thanks for your questions. One great place to ask it is in our Ask & Answer section: http://www.caring.com/ask. You can search and see if this question has already been answered by one of our other community members or you may post your question just by clicking "post your own question." Hope that helps. -- Sho | Community Manager

Question: What if you are married and your husband put a son outside your marriage A Power of Attorney? Does a living wife have any say so over anything. For instance, my husband is dying and the kids from a previous marriage don't communicate, then what are my legal options, if any.

Providing permission to grieve ahead of legal issues is wonderful. I tend to be a person that thinks it all has to happen NOW. Knowing ahead of time that I have a few weeks to 'get it together' will be helpful when the time comes.

My parents' car is registered in FL as they were residents there. Within the past year my Dad's Alzheimer's has gotten so bad he can no longer drive. My Mother has terminal cancer with less than 6 months to live. We brought them back to NH and are thinking of registering their car here in NH. Hoping to save the hassle of trying to sell it after Mom passes, we wanted to do that now. How complicated is it if there is still a lien on the car? Can it be registered in another family member's name. What other difficulties will there be with selling the car after she passes away?

Hi Luck, Thanks for your comment. As for your question, one great place to ask it is in our Ask & Answer section: http://www.caring.com/ask. If you'd like to post your question you can click "post your own question." Hope that helps. -- Emily | Community Manager

I live in the state of Maryland and have taken of my mother for over 20 years while she had her health, mind, and body but for these last five years while being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disorder I have remained with her and since she is now in her last stages of her disease she can no longer walk and is bed ladened. My question is that I have other brothers and sisters; would my siblings (they have been no help to me in her care) be able to get equal share of my mother's estate. I need to plan my position here at my home because I have witnessed my siblings saying to me negative comments on me personally will have to "'buy everyone out" in order to stay in one of my mother's 2 homes and any assets will be devided equally. Is this correct in their thinking or am I only subject to what the law would be; remember; my bothers have not helped me at all with care of my mom.

This article provided me with an idea of what I'll have to do when my parents die as I am the Trustee of their estate. It can all be so overwhelming, but this article has provided a time line of sorts and relieved a good bit of anxiety over the future.

My mum is 86 she has vascular dementia and has lived with me and my husband for the last 15 months. She has surprised everyone including all the medical people that she has survived so long and has endured so much since her diagnosis 2 years ago on Christmas Eve. She is now reaching the end of her life and is on a morphine syringe driver 24/7. She has been on it for 2 weeks now and has not eaten or drank anything in that time and although there is nothing left of her she is still surviving. She is an amazing lady. I hope she is relieved of all her distress soon and goes into a deep sleep.

One of the best things a person can do is have an updated, active will. These documents are so crucial to any individual's end-of-life plan, as they ensure that all property is handled in a way that matches your loved one's wishes. Homes, cars, furnishings, bank accounts - these all need to be handled, and having an up-to-date will will make this process both easier on the family and more in-line with your wishes.

If the Car is your mothers name and she passes, Still have a payment. Can I put the car in my name and the loan?