Get free answers to your Estate Planning legal questions from lawyers in your area.
i’m trying to find my own place for me and my baby and i can financially afford a low income place, i just need help going in the right direction with someone who will rent to a 16 year old.
answered on Jan 21, 2020
You could be having a problem finding a place that will rent to you because you are not legally an adult. Contracts with minors can be disaffirmed by the minor, and are thus voidable. Not many people will want to lend money or do transactions for significant money if there is a risk that you could... View More 
My grandparent died recently, which is over six months after I moved into the house. My mom is his trustee/executor, and he lived in her house when he died. What is my right to the home now. My mother is aware of the verbal agreement, but she has two other siblings. Do I have to move out; what... View More
answered on Jan 5, 2020
You may have tenant rights as a renter, meaning though that you could be asked to move out with 30 days' notice. Unless all heirs are in agreement that you should get the house, you don't have much legal standing for that. The verbal agreement to gift you the house may not mean much... View More
A couple of months ago she bought new appliances for the kitchen. Does she have any legal right to those appliances? There is no lease agreement and she doesn't pay rent.
answered on Dec 9, 2019
Generally speaking, appliances are personal property, and as such, they belong to the person who bought them. An exception to this rule might be if the appliance was permanently affixed or installed. For example, was the appliance physically fastened to the studs, floor, etc., and perhaps... View More
answered on Nov 12, 2019
My advice would be for you to contact a real estate attorney in your area. Deeds are legal documents which, if not drafted correctly, can result in problems in the chain of title and can affect your ability to get financing for your property, or your ability to sell or convey the property later.... View More
My father recently passed in August. He had a total of 5 children including myself. He left one of my sisters as his executor. I have received a copy of his will but I do not really understand it. It seems very broad just states everything he has is to be equally divided between the 5 of us. Well I... View More
answered on Nov 4, 2019
Generally, the executor has discretion to determine shares if the method of dividing the property isn't specified in the will. If you have concerns that your father's property is not being handled properly or fairly, you could file a petition for supervised administration with the probate... View More
Her will dictates equal division of any assets. May I simply give cash to each of my siblings after paying any remaining bills?
answered on Nov 3, 2019
Yes! But understand that by doing that, you would actually be gifting your siblings money that belongs to you, at least legally. Assets that pass by operation of law or by contract (such as under a Joint bank account) pass outside the will - they are not assets of the probate estate. You would not... View More
My kids and I moved in with my grandmother 4 years ago so she could stay at home instead of a nursing home. We split expenses I was her 24/7 caregiver and companion. Grandma told our family she wanted me to have the house But she passed but died before she could make a will.
its only been... View More
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answered on Oct 19, 2019
If none of your grandma's heirs at law complain, you are not at any immediate risk of being ejected. Her heirs at law are most likely her living children plus the children of any deceased children, so unless your parent that was your grandma's child is deceased, you are not an heir at... View More
I'm physically disabled from brain cancer. I require a wheelchair, receive SSI/Medicaid and have a registered in-home caretaker from the state of Michigan. I would like to go on a cruise, but it would be necessary that my caretaker come along with me. Can I pay for their ticket and have it... View More
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answered on Sep 26, 2019
The $10,000 inheritance is disqualifying income in the month of receipt. There is not much you can do about that. If you still have that money on hand on the first day of the following month, sitting in a regular ol' checking account, for example, it will be a countable asset and that will... View More
If the TOD was signed seven days prior to the account owner passing, would there be reason for dispute?
answered on Sep 26, 2019
If you mean "can a Transfer On Death designation (TOD) on a bank account or brokerage account expire due to the passage of time after it is signed?", then
the answer is no.
As always, you get what you pay for. Be sure to consult with a qualified estate planning attorney... View More
They moved her to Mississippi. Now the niece is refusing to let my husband and his brother into the house to get their dads personal stuff. She even sent a detailed email stating we could go in. Then called and retracted the email verbally. What are the rights of my husband and his brother. If any,
Now step-dad's biological child(one of the two he has) is saying us step-kids get nothing because 100% of moms estate goes to spouse(step-dad) and now we are not entitled to his estate as step-children. Is this true? It seems like my moms estate should be settled first which we are heirs of,... View More
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answered on Sep 19, 2019
It sounds like your mom and step-dad had none of their own children. In other words, she had her children (you and your full siblings) and he had his children (the step-children in relation to you). And your mom did not have a will.
In that case, under Michigan law your step-dad should... View More
answered on Sep 18, 2019
Your son could try contacting the banks, brokerage companies, etc where his accounts were held. To find out, he could look through your deceased husband's records, and could also examine the probate court conservatorship file. Perhaps the locations of the accounts were identified on one of the... View More
According to the State my deceased grandmother has unclaimed "property" and the then executor/administrator has not been able to be reached after about a year of attempts. I'm guessing the "property" is nearing the time the state can claim it and take it (I'd hate to... View More
answered on Sep 10, 2019
Heirs can submit claims, but it gets harder with more documentation needed the further along the 'chain' you go. The EASY way is for the PR to make the claim for the estate, but that would also probably require reopening the estate.
If you can't find the PR any more or they... View More
$100,000 of US Treasury securities at the time of the decedent's death. Is there any way around this requirement since it would require I incur legal fees? Rest of estate was in name of a revocable living Trust and, therefore, did not require involvement of a court or any legal expense.
answered on Aug 31, 2019
"Administered by a Court" is a rather strange turn of phrase. So far as I know, if there is 1 CENT of an asset that is listed in the name of the deceased and no beneficiary named on the asset, Probate is required to transfer the asset in EVERY state. In Michigan, there are... View More
She's offering what I believe to be legal advice. I specifically asked her if she was a lawyer and she said no, and is offering what I believe to be legal advice. Should she be drafting estate documents as a non-lawyer? In her exact words she "has been producing wills, powers of... View More
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answered on Aug 14, 2019
Contact the State Bar of Michigan at (517) 346-6300.
Years ago mom added my sister as a joint account holder on all her bank accounts as well as the beneficiary to a small life insurance policy. She also had a much larger policy that when mom became disabled my sister did not properly handle causing it to start issuing lifetime annuity checks, at... View More
answered on Jul 31, 2019
Assuming the PoA allows you to deal with insurances, you can use that to modify beneficiaries, however be careful as many do not allow 'self dealing' meaning that if you try to assign the property to yourself you could run afoul of ethics rules.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE seek the... View More
answered on Jul 25, 2019
It appears you already asked this question. No. The money has to be paid out to the person who is entitled to it under either law or the will. If you don't accept the money, then it passes to the next person who would be entitled to it under either law or the will, and that may not be the... View More
answered on Jul 22, 2019
No. The money has to be paid out to the person who is entitled to it under Michigan law, or under the will. If you don't accept the money, then it passes to the next person who would be entitled to it.
But as an alternative, you could accept the check, cash it, and then gift the funds... View More
my sister lives in the house and we dont want to sell it
answered on Jul 17, 2019
This depends a lot on how the accounts and home ownership were structured. However, you probably can't be 'forced' to sell an asset unless you neglect to follow through with things such that there is a judgment entered against the estate and there are no other assets in the estate.... View More
How do I find out if he has legal guardianship over my mom’s legal affairs?
Can me & my sister contest his guardianship if he is named as such
answered on Jul 15, 2019
If a guardianship has been filed, it should have been filed in the county where your mother resides. As a child of your mother, you should've been served with papers giving you notice of any guardianship proceeding since you are an "interested person" in your mother's welfare.... View More
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