The first issue to resolve is PA is currently trying to impose realty transfer tax on deeds from grantors to their living trusts. You should consult with a PA attorney on that matter. Once RTT is resolved preference should be for special warranty deed to avoid any title insurance issues for... View More

if you are planning to keep the house, the Department of Revenue will usually accept the most recent County Assessed Value multiplied by the current Common Level Ratio as the fair market value on the PA Inheritance Tax Return

In general if there is a named beneficiary on the policy (other than the "Estate"), then the life insurance proceeds are not an estate asset and are not subject to Recovery

You will have to take the Trust Agreement to an attorney to review. Much depends on whether your parents were the Grantors of the Trust in addition to being the Trustees, as well as the other assets in the Trust and in your parents' estates.

First of all, if the Will lists you and your sister as co-executors your sister has no right to take any action on her own. It sounds like you may not have probated the Will yet, and if that is the case your sister has no right to do anything at this time. It this is how the probate is beginning... View More

This question is far to general for a forum like this. You should meet with your attorney and your CPA to discuss why you are creating a new company, and also whether it should be a subsidiary of your current LLC. Also depends on the tax status of your current LLC

There may not be an obligation to hire an attorney to assist in probate, but by the wording of your question it indicates that you may not understand the rights of joint owners of assets versus beneficiaries under a Will. I would recommend that you meet with an attorney to discuss the rights and... View More

You really should meet with an experienced business attorney on this one, rather than relying on a Q&A service. You have a number of issues in your question, including whether or not a sole proprietorship is your proper entity when performing these types of services. For most states you can... View More

Your father's estate, if your sister probated the Will, is a matter of public record in the Register of Wills for the county in which your father lived at the time of his death. if your sister probated the Will a copy will be in the Register of Wills office along with an Petition for Probate... View More

A beneficiary can compel a formal accounting by the Executor. Essentially the Executor ca offer an informal accounting and you can all sign a Family Settlement Agreement or can submit a formal accounting and ask for court approval. Either way you can demand an accounting now and file petition with... View More

From the point of view of your Will, you can leave your Estate to anyone you choose, and in this case you would just no longer reference your primary beneficiary as "my wife".

From a Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax point of view, this is a major change since the tax rate for bequests... View More

It sounds like your executors are attempting to settle the estate with a Family Settlement Agreement which is the most common way to settle a small estate. If you are not in agreement with the proposed settlement you, as a beneficiary, have a right to request a formal accounting of the estate.... View More

First of all are you sure there is a Will? If your sister-in-law claims there is a Will, and that she is named Executor, and if she has done nothing to date your wife has some options, and she needs to meet with an experienced estate attorney to see what option is best. If you think there is a... View More

As far as a copy of the Will, the executor is required to send you a notice that you are a beneficiary of the Will, and describe your bequest. Most executors provide a copy of the Will, but unfortunately that is not required and your executor has chosen not to send a copy. Her attorney is correct... View More

You have a number of questions here that you really need to sit down with a business attorney and sort through your best options. First of all I never recommend a 50/50 split of ownership because it can lead to deadlocks at a number of levels in the business. As far as your idea/system, that... View More

First of all the Department of Revenue will usually accept the assessed value (adjusted for county common level ratio) for computing inheritance tax, but it is not likely to accept the assessed value as reduced for Clean & Green.

Second, whether you want to report a low value for... View More

in most counties in Pennsylvania the "offer" to purchase is made with an Agreement of Sale. if there is no realtor involved you can hire your own attorney to prepare an Agreement of Sale and present it to the Estate attorney. You may want to have a title search started before you make... View More

First of all since your brother is named Executor he has the responsibility and the authority to collect and protect all personal property of your father. Since you call your brother the Executor I am assuming there is a Will and the girlfriend is either not named in the Will or was not bequeathed... View More

The sister may be correct. If she is named the beneficiary then that designation will override the Will. However, the executor of the Will has the ability to confirm with the holder of the investment account if the sister is indeed named the beneficiary, and also when she was named the... View More

In Pennsylvania the estate attorney's fee is negotiated with the executor of the estate. There are court cases with guidelines as to calculation of the fees. I have never heard the fees being calculated as a percentage of the inheritance taxes paid by the estate.