New Brunswick, NJ asked in Estate Planning for Texas

Q: Can the heirs ask/require the executor of an estate to provide for an accounting of the estate?

My father passed away in 2002. My uncle, a lawyer, was named executor, 3 sister heirs including myself. After years of asking exec to hand over and finish the process, we're finally getting somewhere. There seem to be many anomalies & unanswered questions as to where $ went, life insurance policies went. We've never seen anything at all, and fought to get the homestead back after all these years. Exec seems to be making decisions for himself, no transparency, and we are worried about the process. Can we legally ask the executor to provide details regarding the estate? We're not asking for anything beyond the accounting of all things that would be involved.

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1 Lawyer Answer
Terry Lynn Garrett
PREMIUM
Terry Lynn Garrett
Answered
  • Estate Planning Lawyer
  • Austin, TX
  • Licensed in Texas

A: In Texas beneficiaries under a Will are entitled to demand an accounting from the Executor 18 months after the Court has issued Letters Testamentary. Please note that a life insurance policy or retirement account designating beneficiaries, a pay-on-death bank account or transfer-on-death brokerage account are not part of the probate estate for which the Executor must account.

Tammy L. Wincott agrees with this answer

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