What Is Probate Court?

What Is Probate Court?

Probate court is a part of the court system that oversees the execution of wills, as well as the handling of estates, conservatorships and guardianships. This court also is responsible for the commitment of a person with psychiatric disabilities to institutions designed to help them.

Investopedia’s recent article entitled “What Is Probate Court?” also explains that the probate court makes sure all debts owed are paid and that assets are distributed properly. The court oversees and usually must approve the actions of the executor appointed to handle these matters. If a will is contested, the probate court is responsible for ruling on the authenticity of the document and the cognitive stability of the person who signed it. If no will exists, the court also decides who receives the decedent’s assets, based on the laws of the state.

Each state has rules for probate and probate courts. Some states use the term “surrogate’s court”, “orphan’s court”, or “chancery court.”

Probate is usually required for property titled only in the name of the person who passes away. For example, this might include a family home that was owned jointly by a married couple after the surviving spouse dies. However, there are assets that don’t require probate.

Here are some of the assets that don’t need to be probated:

  • IRA or 401(k) retirement accounts with designated beneficiaries
  • Life insurance policies with designated beneficiaries
  • Pension plan distributions
  • Living trust assets
  • Payable-on-death (POD) bank account funds
  • Transfer-on-death (TOD) assets
  • Wages, salary, or commissions owed to the deceased (up to allowable limit)
  • Vehicles intended for immediate family (under state law); and
  • Household goods and other items intended for immediate family (under state law).

Investopedia (Sep. 21, 2022) “What Is Probate Court?”

Can I Contest Dad’s Will While He’s Still Living?

Can I Contest Dad’s Will While He’s Still Living?

The Maryland Daily Record’s recent article entitled “Wills cannot be challenged until testator dies, Md. appeals court says” explains the Court of Special Appeals said a will or revocable trust is only a draft document until its drafter, or testator, has died.

As a result, those challenging a living person’s will or trust would be merely “presumptive heirs” who have no legal standing to challenge a legal document that’s not yet final.

“Pre-death challenges to wills may be a waste of time – the testator might replace it with a new one, die without property, or the challenger might die before the testator,” Judge Andrea M. Leahy wrote for the Court of Special Appeals.

The appellate court’s decision was the second defeat for Amy Silverstone, whose legal challenge to her mother Andrea Jacobson’s will was dismissed by a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge for lack of standing.

Silverstone argued that it should be declared void based on her claim that her aunt unduly influenced her mother. The mother suffers from dementia and memory impairment.

This undue influence led Silverstone’s mother, Andrea Jacobson, to change her will in 2018 to expressly “disinherit” Silverstone and her son, Silverstone alleged.

The mother’s new will stated that Silverstone and her son shall not “in any way be a beneficiary of or receive any portion of the trust or the grantor’s estate.”

The disinheritance came amid a falling out between mother and daughter, according to court documents.

Silverstone’s challenge to the will and related trust is premature while her mother is alive, the court held.

Reference: The Maryland Daily Record (Dec. 12, 2022) “Wills cannot be challenged until testator dies, Md. appeals court says”

What’s the Latest with the Queen of Soul’s Estate?

What’s the Latest with the Queen of Soul’s Estate?

Clearing the Queen of Soul’s tax debts could clear the way for her four sons to finally take over her post-death affairs and fully benefit from revenues flowing into her estate — which could be millions of dollars.

The Detroit Free Press reports in its recent article entitled “Aretha Franklin estate says $7.8 million IRS bill is paid; could spell windfall for sons” reports that Franklin’s tax burden had been an immovable hurdle as her heirs sorted out other estate matters — sometimes combatively — in Oakland County Probate Court following her 2018 death.

The IRS debt prevented the sons from receiving money, even while the late star’s music and movie projects generated big revenue in her name. The remaining tax liability was paid off in June with delivery of a cashier’s check to the IRS.

The IRS said that the singer’s estate had nearly $8 million in unpaid taxes, penalties and interest that had piled up during the previous seven years. The estate at last struck a deal with the IRS in April 2021 with an accelerated payoff schedule that also set up limited but regular payments to Franklin’s sons.

The IRS deal earmarked 45% of incoming Aretha Franklin revenue to pay down the standing tax balance. Another 40% was directed to an escrow account to handle taxes on newly generated income.

With the tax debt now purportedly off its back, the estate contends that most of the incoming cash should get distributed equally among the four sons each month. From that point, income tax obligations would be on each individual. Oakland County (MI) Probate Judge Jennifer Callaghan would have to approve the request.

In the meantime, there’s still the issue of multiple wills that were apparently signed by Franklin. That includes three handwritten documents discovered in her home in 2019.

A fourth will draft suddenly was discovered last year — a typed document prepared by a Troy law firm in 2017 but left unsigned by the star.

The documents contain conflicting instructions about Franklin’s wishes for her estate, including which heirs were to get what, and their emergence exacerbated tensions among sons Clarence, Edward, Teddy and Kecalf.

A trial to clear up the situation was planned for 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic.

Reference: Detroit Free Press (July 11, 2022) “Aretha Franklin estate says $7.8 million IRS bill is paid; could spell windfall for sons”

When Should I Hire an Estate Planning Attorney?

When Should I Hire an Estate Planning Attorney?

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Should I Hire an Estate Planning Attorney Now That I Am a Widow?” describes some situations where an experienced estate planning attorney is really required:

Estates with many types of complicated assets. Hiring an experienced estate planning attorney is a must for more complicated estates. These are estates with multiple investments, numerous assets, cryptocurrency, hedge funds, private equity, or a business. Some estates also include significant real estate, including vacation homes, commercial properties and timeshares. Managing, appraising and selling a business, real estate and complex investments are all jobs that require some expertise and experience. In addition, valuing private equity investments and certain hedge funds is also not straightforward and can require the services of an expert.

The estate might owe federal or state estate tax. In some estates, there are time-sensitive decisions that require somewhat immediate attention. Even if all assets were held jointly and court involvement is unnecessary, hiring a knowledgeable trust and estate lawyer may have real tax benefits. There are many planning strategies from which testators and their heirs can benefit. For example, the will or an estate tax return may need to be filed to transfer the deceased spouse’s unused Federal Estate Unified Tax Credit to the surviving spouse. The decision whether to transfer to an unused unified tax credit to the surviving spouse is not obvious and requires guidance from an experienced estate planning attorney.

Many states also impose their own estate taxes, and many of these states impose taxes on an estate valued at $1 million or more. Therefore, when you add the value of a home, investments and life insurance proceeds, many Americans will find themselves on the wrong side of the state exemption and owe estate taxes.

The family is fighting. Family disputes often emerge after the death of a parent. It’s stressful, and emotions run high. No one is really operating at their best. If unhappy family members want to contest the will or are threatening a lawsuit, you’ll also need guidance from an experienced estate planning attorney. These fights can result in time-intensive and costly lawsuits. The sooner you get legal advice from a probate attorney, the better chance you have of avoiding this.

Complicated beneficiary plans. Some wills have tricky beneficiary designations that leave assets to one child but nothing to another. Others could include charitable bequests or leave assets to many beneficiaries.

Talk to an experienced attorney, whose primary focus is estate and trust law.

Reference: Kiplinger (July 5, 2022) “Should I Hire an Estate Planning Attorney Now That I Am a Widow?”

Should I have a Pour-Over Will?

Should I have a Pour-Over Will?

A pour-over will is a type of will that’s created in conjunction with a trust. It can help facilitate the transfer of assets, if a trust’s grantor (the person establishing the trust) has failed to transfer all intended assets into the trust. A pour-over will can be an important part of a person’s estate planning checklist. Bankrate’s recent article entitled “Do you need a pour-over will in your estate plan?” gives us more information.

This type of will has a provision that directs the will to “pour-over” any residual assets left in the person’s estate into a living trust that is overseen by a trustee upon the grantor’s death.

A big benefit of this type of arrangement is that it’s a backstop, in case there were assets the grantor didn’t specifically fund into the trust before their death. This allows these assets to avoid the intestate rules (when someone passes away without a valid will), even though they were not specifically part of the living trust.

A person might designate certain assets to be titled in the name of a living trust they’ve established to facilitate passing these assets to the trust’s designated beneficiaries upon the grantor’s death. The trust avoids probate on these assets. However, any assets, such as an IRA or a life insurance policy, that passes on to heirs via a beneficiary designation wouldn’t be eligible for inclusion in this type of trust.

A pour-over will allows the grantor to state that any assets that had not previously been included in the trust should be added to the trust upon their death. Therefore, assets that may have been acquired after the trust was established are eligible for the same treatment as the assets that had already been funded to the trust.

It’s also simple and eliminates the need to decide which heir receives certain assets because everything eventually becomes part of the trust. These assets are, therefore, distributed via the terms of the trust.

It also helps avoid a lengthy probate case due to a significant asset that wasn’t included in the trust or elsewhere.

However, this type of will doesn’t eliminate the probate process. The will still needs to go through probate. There may also be possible legal challenges, which can be costly to litigate and take time to resolve.

Ask an estate planning attorney about a pour-over will as a part of your estate plan.

Reference: Bankrate (April 20, 2022) “Do you need a pour-over will in your estate plan?”

Can My Ex Get Some of My Estate?

Can My Ex Get Some of My Estate?

For many people, their will is their final communication to the world.

A will states how their property should be distributed upon their death. CNBC’s recent article entitled “Your ex-spouse could inherit your money. How to avoid this and other estate-planning mistakes” says that depending on how you plan, it may have a few some surprises for those who are close to you.

There are a couple of situations where you could inadvertently leave money to people you no longer intend as heirs, much to the surprise of other heirs.

An ex-spouse could get some of your money when you die, if you do not update your beneficiaries under a retirement plan.

Divorce does not automatically change a beneficiary designation, unless the divorce decree includes a stipulation to change it. IRAs are the same, so it is not uncommon for an IRA owner to die without having changed the beneficiary designation after a divorce. It’s usually just a simple oversight.

However, most state laws provide that once a married couple is divorced, ex-spouses lose all property rights.

However, pensions are governed by federal law, formally known as ERISA or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. As a result, state rules do not apply.

Pensions are not the only accounts that people tend to forget to update. Bank account beneficiary designations are often hard to find, and circumstances may change from when you first set them up.

While it may be tempting to disinherit someone to whom you are no longer close, it can be a bad idea. That is because it can invite all kinds of issues, like a will challenge.

There is always the chance you may reconcile, even on your death bed, at which point it will be too late to update your will and estate plan. Therefore, leave something less to them and do not say anything bad.

To ensure your wishes are carried out the way you want, work with an experienced estate planning attorney.

Reference: CNBC (Jan. 9, 2022) “Your ex-spouse could inherit your money. How to avoid this and other estate-planning mistakes”

How Do I Give Assets to Minor Grandchildren in My Will?

How Do I Give Assets to Minor Grandchildren in My Will?

If a married couple is creating its estate plan, then how does the couple leave the estate to non-adult grandchildren?

However, what if something were to happen to them before the grandchildren become adults? Can this couple make sure the minor grandchildren do not get control of any inheritance until they’re adults?

Can arrangements be made for any unborn grandchildren to be included?

Nj.com’s recent article entitled “How can I leave my money to my minor grandchildren when I die?” says that one way to solve these issues is to create a testamentary trust to provide for young beneficiaries whether they’re children, grandchildren, step-children, or unrelated beneficiaries. The terms of a testamentary trust are in your will. It is only established and funded after you pass away.

The terms of the trust generally provide instructions to the trustee about the ages at which distributions must be made, if any. These instructions also allow the trustee to make discretionary distributions of income and principal to the beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries do not need to be identified by name or need to be born at the time the will is written.  However, they must be able to be identified upon your death. As a result, you can provide a bequest to all of your grandchildren, whether or not they are born yet.

It doesn’t matter where your grandchildren live as far as estate planning is concerned. However, if they live outside the United States and the bequest is considerable, the laws of their home country should be addressed. This is because a big gift may cause adverse tax implications to the recipient.

For children, some states’ laws allow you to add a term in your will that penalizes any interested person — like an heir or beneficiary — for contesting the will.

However, if there’s probable cause initiating a proceeding concerning the estate, then the clause will not be enforced.

When a person names another as primary beneficiary, they should also name one or more contingent beneficiaries, so that if the first person predeceases him or her, they will not have to revise the will.

If you do not designate a contingent beneficiary, and an heir predeceases, the assets pass according to the state’s intestacy statute rather than according to the will.

Reference: nj.com (Dec. 9, 2021) “How can I leave my money to my minor grandchildren when I die?”

Can You Keep Your Children from Inheriting Your Money?

Can You Keep Your Children from Inheriting Your Money?

What if you want to exclude your children and give your assets to a charity or a college after you pass away? You also don’t want your children to be able to contest your will.

Nj.com’s article entitled “My kids are brats. I don’t want them to inherit. What’s next?” explains that a person with this intention has a number of options for their estate.

First, you should understand that, unless there is a pre-existing contractual agreement or other obligation to do so, a person typically isn’t required to leave anyone other than their spouse anything in their estate.

A properly drafted will by an experienced estate planning attorney allows a person to name the beneficiaries of their estate. This can include charities. It also includes the amount or specific items and in what way each beneficiary will inherit.

You really can’t do much to prevent a child from challenging a will. However, your estate planning attorney can take steps to mitigate the risk that a challenge may be successful. This can include ensuring the testator — the person who establishes a will — has the requisite capacity to sign a will (“being of sound mind”) and that they’re signing it free of any undue influence or duress.

An experienced estate planning attorney will usually meet with a client several times to discuss the client’s assets and intention of disinheriting a child. The attorney will take notes that may be offered as evidence in the event of a will contest and even conduct the meeting in the presence of another attorney or staff member of the firm who could act as another witness.

A will should include specific language that it is the testator’s intent to disinherit a person, and that this individual should be treated as predeceasing the testator for purposes of the will. This helps ensure that the disinherited individual doesn’t somehow benefit.

Note that not all assets pass through the estate and pursuant to the terms of a will. Assets like retirement accounts, life insurance, annuities, and other financial accounts pass by beneficiary designation.

Real estate usually passes by operation of law, such by joint tenancy with right of survivorship.

Reference: nj.com (Dec. 22, 2021) “My kids are brats. I don’t want them to inherit. What’s next?”

Remind Me Why I Need a Will

Remind Me Why I Need a Will

There are a number of reasons to draft a will as soon as possible. If you die without a will (intestate), you leave decisions up to your state of residence according to its probate and intestacy laws. Without a will, you have no say as to who receives your assets or properties. Not having a will could also make it difficult for your family.

Legal Reader’s recent article entitled “Top 7 Reasons to Fill Out a Will” reminds us that, before it is too late, consider these reasons why a will is essential.

Avoid Family Disputes. This process occasionally will lead to disagreements among family members, if there’s no will or your wishes aren’t clear. A contested will can be damaging to relationships within your family and can be costly.

Avoid Costly and Lengthy Probate. A will expedites the probate process and tells the court the way in which you want your estate to be divided. Without a will, the court will decide how your estate will be divided, which can lead to unnecessary delays.

Deciding What Happens to Your Assets. A will is the only way you can state exactly to whom you want your assets to be given. Without a will, the court will decide.

Designating a Guardian for Your Children. Without a will, the court will determine who will take care of your minor children.

Eliminate Stress for Your Family. Most estates must go to probate court to start the process. However, if you have no will, the process can be complicated. The court must name personal representatives to administer your estate.

Protect Your Business. A will allows you to pass your business to your co-owners or heirs.

Provide A Home For Your Pets. If you have a will, you can make certain that someone will care for your pets if you die. The law considers pets as properties, so you are prohibited from leaving assets to your pets in your will. However, you can name beneficiaries for your pets, leaving them to a trusted person, and you can name people to serve as guardians of your pets and leave them funds to meet their needs.

Drafting a will with the help of an experienced estate planning attorney can give you and your family peace of mind and convenience in the future.

Reference: Legal Reader (Jan. 28, 2021) “Top 7 Reasons to Fill Out a Will”

Who Can Witness Wills?

Who Can Witness Wills?

For a will to be binding, there are a number of requirements that must be met. While state laws on wills vary, most require you to be of legal adult age to make a will and have testamentary capacity (i.e., that you be “of sound mind”).

Yahoo Finance’s recent article entitled “Who Can and Cannot Witness a Will?” explains that you usually must have your will witnessed.

Witnesses to your will are significant in the event that someone disputes its validity later or if there is a will contest. If one of your heirs challenges the terms of your will, a witness may be asked by the probate court to attest that they watched you sign the will and that you appeared to be of sound mind when you did so. Witnesses provide you with another layer of validity to a will, and it makes it more difficult for someone to dispute its legality.

When drafting a will, it’s important to understand several requirements, including who can serve as a witness. Generally, but depending on applicable state law, anyone can witness a will, as long as they meet two requirements: (i) they are of legal adult age; and (ii) they do not have a direct interest in the will. Therefore, the types of people who could witness a will for you include your friends who aren’t to receive anything from your estate, a neighbor, co-workers and any of your relatives who aren’t included in your will.

If you’ve hired an experienced estate planning attorney to help you draft your will, he or she can also act as a witness, provided they’re not named as a beneficiary. An attorney who’s also acting as the executor of the will (the person who oversees the process of distributing your assets and paying off any outstanding debts owed by your estate) can also witness a will.

Most states don’t allow you to select individuals who will benefit from your will as witnesses. If you are drafting a will that leaves assets to your spouse, children, siblings, or parents, then none of those individuals can serve as witnesses to the will’s signing because they all have an interest in the will’s terms. The same is true for relatives or spouses of any of the beneficiaries.

The witnesses to your will do not need to review the entire will document in order to sign it. They only need to be able to verify that the document exists, that you have signed it in their presence and that they have signed it in front of you.

When you sign the will, get both witnesses together at the same time. You’ll need to sign, initial and date the will in ink, then have your witnesses do the same. Some states require you to attach a self-proving affidavit or have the will notarized in front of the witnesses.

Reference: Yahoo Finance (Dec. 28, 2020) “Who Can and Cannot Witness a Will?”