Category: Probate and Estate Administration
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When Siblings Fight Over Special Needs Inheritance: The Disasters Courts See Every Year (And How Parents Prevent Them)
Healthy siblings resenting special needs siblings over inheritance isn’t rare, it’s predictable when parents don’t address it. These are the court cases, trust challenges, and family destructions that happen when you assume love conquers financial inequality.
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Blended Family Estate Planning When One Child Has Special Needs: 7-Step Plan to Protect Everyone (Without Starting a Family War)
When blended families include a special needs child, estate planning becomes legally complex and emotionally explosive. This 7-step framework prevents inheritance battles, protects government benefits, and ensures lifetime care without sacrificing your other children’s futures.
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How to Be an Executor: Complete Step-by-Step Guide From Appointment to Distribution
Comprehensive chronological guide walking you through every stage of serving as executor, from initial appointment through final distribution. Learn the exact steps, timelines, decision points, and common mistakes to avoid at each phase of estate administration.
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Do Executors Need a Probate Lawyer? When Going Without a Probate Attorney Becomes Dangerous
Not every estate needs an attorney, but most do. Simple estates under $500,000 with clear wills and straightforward assets might be safe for DIY administration. But estate tax requirements, business interests, real estate in multiple states, will contests, or creditor disputes require professional help.
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The Executor Errors You Can’t Undo: Costly Mistakes That Become Your Financial Problem
Some executor mistakes you can fix with amended filings or apologies. Others are permanent. Paying beneficiaries before creditors, missing tax deadlines, selling assets without authorization, destroying property before inventory, and self-dealing create personal liability that lasts years beyond estate closure.
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Digital Executor Duties Nobody Prepared You For: Crypto, Cloud Accounts & Social Media Access Laws
Traditional executor guides focus on bank accounts and real estate, ignoring the digital assets that now comprise significant portions of estates. Cryptocurrency wallets, cloud storage with irreplaceable family photos, social media accounts, NFTs, and password-protected online businesses create executor duties nobody teaches you about. Without proper legal authority and technical knowledge, executors lose access to…
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What Executors Get Sued For: Personal Liability That Outlasts Estate Closure
Most executors think their legal responsibility ends when the estate closes. The truth is far more unsettling. Personal liability for fiduciary breaches, unpaid taxes, and creditor violations can follow you for years after probate ends, turning an act of service into financial devastation.
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Executor Compensation: The Money You’re Legally Entitled To (That Families Never Discuss)
Most executors never take compensation because families don’t discuss it beforehand. Understanding your legal right to executor fees, state-specific payment structures, and tax implications protects both you and the estate from resentment and financial mistakes.
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Being Named Executor: Complete Guide to Legal Duties, Timeline & Protecting Yourself from Personal Risk
Being named executor isn’t a simple honor—it’s accepting personal financial liability, 100-500 hours of legal work over 6-18 months, and responsibilities that can cost you tens of thousands from your own pocket if mistakes are made. Before you say yes, understand what you’re actually signing up for, how to protect yourself from liability, and whether…
Popular Posts
- When Siblings Fight Over Special Needs Inheritance: The Disasters Courts See Every Year (And How Parents Prevent Them)
Healthy siblings resenting special needs siblings over inheritance isn’t rare, it’s predictable when parents don’t address it. These are the court cases, trust challenges, and family destructions that happen when you assume love conquers financial inequality. - Blended Family Estate Planning When One Child Has Special Needs: 7-Step Plan to Protect Everyone (Without Starting a Family War)
When blended families include a special needs child, estate planning becomes legally complex and emotionally explosive. This 7-step framework prevents inheritance battles, protects government benefits, and ensures lifetime care without sacrificing your other children’s futures. - How to Be an Executor: Complete Step-by-Step Guide From Appointment to Distribution
Comprehensive chronological guide walking you through every stage of serving as executor, from initial appointment through final distribution. Learn the exact steps, timelines, decision points, and common mistakes to avoid at each phase of estate administration.
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