Cuthbert, GA Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

You may never find a Will.  Two-thirds of Americans die without one.  Hire a local probate attorney to help you file an application to determine heirship and issue letters of administration.  As administrator you will have full authority over the deceased's property and can transfer title. Meanwhile, see whether a locksmith can change the door key to prevent hot wiring and joy rides.

It is probably best to have the Will reviewed by an attorney who can read the entire document and advise you. It may be necessary to file with the Probate Court to have the items returned or have her removed. We charge $100 for a one hour consultation with an attorney who will provide you with valuable information regarding your rights and the law in this area.

If you are named as the POD beneficiary on your father's bank account, that account became yours at his death and did not become part of his estate. It's not even your responsibility to use it to pay estate related expenses or expenses related to his death: it's your money, not his. His probate estate assets are supposed to be used to pay for expenses relating to his death, his debts, and similar items. If your father was receiving nursing home Medicaid benefits before his death, there may be some ability for the state to come after the funds from the POD account, under an estate recovery program, because in Georgia the concept of estate recovery is being applied to assets other than strictly probate estate assets. And if he had income tax or other tax liens, then you may have some potential liability to turn over the assets to the tax department. But in general, as stated above, assets from a POD account which came to you under the POD designation are yours, and are not subject to paying estate debts or expenses.