Blog
Q&A with Loraine: Navigating Probate
Question: Do I need to hire an attorney to go through probate? Background: My 53 year old dad recently passed away unexpectedly – without a …
Q&A with Loraine: Joint Bank Accounts
Question: If spouses (my brother and his wife) have a joint bank account, what happens to the assets in that account if one of them …
Q&A with Loraine: How Does a “Double Death” Affect Asset Distribution?
Question: My grandmother passed away a week after my father passed away. Do I take my dad’s spot in grandmother’s will? Loraine’s Answer: Please accept …
Q&A with Loraine: Tax-free Gifts
Question: How do I give money from my brother’s estate to other family members tax-free? Background: My brother, who lived in Arkansas, recently died and …
Another Day, Another Real Life Estate Drama
by Richard Morgan Based on preliminary news reports, M. Richard Robinson, Jr., the head of Scholastic Corp., died suddenly this past June while he was out …
Q&A with Loraine: Family Home
Question: Who does my father’s home, which he previously shared with my grandmother, legally belong to? Background: My father recently died, and my grandmother pre-deceased …
Q&A with Loraine: Petition to Probate
Background: My father recently passed away and I have received a request to sign a Petition to Probate in Solemn Form. Even though I did …
New Funeral Expense Reimbursement Available for COVID 19 Victims
If someone in your family was one of the 600,000 Americans who died of COVID-19, you may be able to file for $9,000 in reimbursement …