When someone dies, their estate will need to go through the probate process before their property can be transferred to living beneficiaries or family members. The probate process can be complicated and time-consuming, so knowing what to expect can be helpful. Opening...
Estate Administration
What happens to the assets of a person who dies without a will?
People in New Jersey and elsewhere often wonder what happens to a person’s assets when that person dies without leaving a will to direct the distribution of the person’s property. The answer is provided by New Jersey’s laws of intestate succession. Whenever a person...
Is the person you chose as executor up to the task?
In the estate planning process, you may select a loved one in your will to serve as the executor of your estate. However, executors in New Jersey have many duties and obligations and not everyone is up to the task. The following are some issues to discuss with the...
Detailing New Jersey’s intestate succession guidelines
When a loved one dies in Bridgewater, it is natural for you and others to have concerns over the distribution of their estate. Your hope is that they stipulated how they wanted their various assets and properties distributed in a will. Yet what if they did not? Many...
Becoming the administrator of an estate with no will
When someone dies without a will, it can leave family members unsure of what their next step should be. If you want to become the administrator of your loved one's estate, you have to follow the requirements carefully. We have often assisted people through the probate...
What are the benefits of a medical power of attorney?
A medical power of attorney is an estate planning document that designates someone as another person's agent when it comes to making medical decisions. That agent can make decisions that, legally speaking, work as if they came from the person themselves. It comes into...
Why you shouldn’t rush to distribute assets after a testator dies
A testator's loved ones often come out of the woodworks en masse to stake claim to their loved ones' assets immediately following their death. You as the executor shouldn't give in though. It could be quite costly if you do.Some of the assets that you may not want to...
The steps that you should take immediately after probating a will
One of the first steps that you should take as the executor of a New Jersey resident's estate is to probate the testator's will. This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of your responsibilities though. There are several other steps that you should handle as part...
Why does it take so long to settle a New Jersey probate case?
It's often not long after a family member dies that their loved ones begin clamoring to get a piece of what they feel that they're due from it. While many heirs may think that they can simply walk into a decedent's home and take what they feel is rightfully theirs,...
Does serving as the executor of an estate come at a cost?
It's a great honor to be chosen as the executor of someone's estate. It means that the testator, or the person writing the will, has a great deal of respect for you and that they trust you to carry out their final wishes. Being chosen as the executor of someone's...