Q: My mother passed away in July. There is a will that states to split evenly between me and my sibling.
He paid for funeral, paid off her car, her house payment, some bills (like electric and so on until the house was sold last week. What expenses are considered acceptable? Now, when splitting the money. Does he get to factor in those expenses and basically leave me with nothing? Just doesn't seem right.
A:
I'm so sorry to hear about your mother; I hope you're hanging in there.
Yes, it's appropriate for most costs in "finalizing" your mother's affairs be deducted from an estate before any heir receives their share. All bills of an estate must be paid, and it's fair for the estate to share in the expenses equally before anyone gets their inheritance.
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