Buffalo, NY asked in Estate Planning for New York

Q: Should I sign a receipt and release form before receiving my inheritance?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Nina Whitehurst
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Answered
  • Estate Planning Lawyer
  • Crossville, TN

A: You will receive your inheritance a lot faster if you do and the estate will incur less expense if you do, which translates into more inheritance for you. If you have no reason to suspect wrongdoing on the part of the executor, then I would normally say yes. But if you suspect wrongdoing, then no, you should hire an attorney to pursue that line of thinking. Keep in mind, however, that hiring an attorney to try to sniff out and correct wrongdoing will be expensive and if you are wrong it will be solely at your expense, meaning less inheritance for you. Even if you are right, you still need to be sure it's worth it because if the estate ends up bearing the legal fees that means, again, less inheritance for you.

Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer

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