Designating a beneficiary for your car will keep it out of probate. DMV has a form you can attach to your registration. If you search CT DMV beneficiary designation, you should find that form. But you should know that having a will does not take your estate out of probate. Your will is your... View More

Based on the information you provided, you would be better off filing in Connecticut. It sounds to me that he was a resident of Connecticut, and was only temporarily in Massachusetts. Also, because he has assets in Connecticut, the Connecticut probate court, would certainly have jurisdiction.

Unfortunately, there is no central registry for wills. often attorneys will post on the Connecticut Bar Association, listserv asking if anyone has the will for a particular individual. Keep in mind that if you are unable to locate, the will, the Connecticut intestacy statute may provide for the... View More

If you have the original POA, with the actual original signature, and it has not been revoked, you could use it to sign the deed for your closing. You should check with your husband to verify that it has not been revoked, and you should give the original POA to your closing attorney for review.... View More

You can and should change the locks. One of the primary duties of the executor is to take control of the estate's assets. You should also check to see if there is insurance on the house.

Any recovery for wrongful death would be paid to the estate and would be divided up either according to the will or the laws of intestacy, not to you as the person who wanted to bring the action. The action would need to be brought by the executor or administrator.

I don’t practice in Massachusetts, but I think the answer is that there may be a 30 day appeal period that needs to run before the proceeds can be disbursed.

Investing the funds in CD's may be a good idea, but you have to keep in mind that the estate may need some liquidity to pay ongoing or other expenses. Also, you should consider rolling maturity dates, say some 3 month CD's, some 6 month CD's and some 9 month CD's. This way you... View More

Yes. You and your brother are the named beneficiaries of what is called the "residuary estate." After all expenses of probate, and after any claims against the estate are paid, the two of you will split the remainder. Near the end of the the probate process, the executor will need to... View More

Yes, that would be the way to go.

Probably. Assuming the person from whom your mother will inherit has already died, and it is just a matter of administering the estate of that person, if your mother's will says that her estate goes to you, the money she will inherit will be part of your mother's estate and will pass to... View More

Not strictly speaking. Life insurance passes outside of probate. That said, the proceeds will probably need to be listed on the estate tax return. The proceeds may be included in your great uncle's estate, but unless the total is over 9.1 million (for 2022), no estate tax will be owed.

Very often after a revocable trust is created (or at the same time) the grantor who sets up the trust will transfer his or her house to the trust via a deed. It is unusual, very unusual, for the trust itself to convey real property.

So assuming you follow the procedure of setting up the... View More

You will need to petition the probate court for what is called intestate administration. That is what the process is called when someone dies without a will. Since his solely owned assets are more than $40,000, you won't be able to file a short form probate (called an affidavit in lieu of... View More

You may not need a full probate process, but you will have to submit an estate tax return to show the estate is not taxable. Only estates over $7.1 million are taxable in Connecticut. You may be able to file what is called an affidavit in lieu of administration instead of full probate to transfer... View More

You should be all set. Just make sure you understand that the initial powers, usually on the first page, are all included unless you cross them out, but the optional estate planning powers are not included unless you initial next to them to add them in.

In Connecticut, if a claim is not presented to the fiduciary within 150 days from the date of the fiduciary's appointment, the fiduciary is not personally chargeable for any assets (i) paid in satisfaction of any lawful claims, expenses or taxes, or (ii) distributed to any beneficiaries,... View More

Yes, those items can be purchased as part of the spend down.

The fee is not necessarily determined by how simple or complicated the split is. It is impossible for anyone to give you an accurate estimate without knowing the number, nature and value of the assets. I've handled "simple" estates, that end up being very complicated. Most lawyers... View More

Because of COVID, there is an executive order which suspends the witness requirement on all instruments which need to be notarized, except for wills. So, you are in luck. There no witnesses required. That said, it can't hurt to have your sister and her husband sign as witnesses. Or... View More