After someone passes away, there are many steps involved in settling their estate. One of the main goals is to distribute the person’s assets to their beneficiaries. If they died intestate—meaning they didn’t have a will—this is done in accordance with state law. If...
Movies and television would have you believe that when someone dies, their will is read, and everyone immediately receives their inheritance. That typically doesn't happen in real life. Many factors determine how long the probate process will take, starting with the...
Taking responsibility for someone's estate involves accepting a lot of personal responsibility. Family members and beneficiaries look to the representative of an estate to inform them about the status of the probate process and may pressure them to give them their...
Someone's estate plan can include a variety of different instructions and requests. There may be language designating certain people as the recipients for certain property and instructions about the care of dependent family members. Testators often invest a lot of...
Being named an estate's executor comes with different responsibilities, and one of them is handling the financial affairs of the testator (the person who made the will). You will deal with bills, debts, mortgages and so on, which can be complicated. But a few tips can...
The executor of the estate is the person who is selected to administer the testator’s financial affairs after their passing. While anyone above the legal age can become an executor, not everyone is fit to be an executor. However, it’s possible to learn how to be an...
An executor has many duties, including communicating with beneficiaries. An estate's beneficiaries have a right to information. So, what should you communicate to the beneficiaries of the estate you are overseeing? Here are three things to communicate: Inclusion in a...
A key step in the probate process is submitting the decedent's will to the court for approval. Until the judge accepts the will as valid, the process cannot move forward and the decedent's heirs and beneficiaries cannot receive their inheritances. Five will...
In South Carolina, a person closely related to a person who has died is their heir and gets their assets. The court will give the entire estate to the closest heirs if someone dies without a will, assuming that person or persons outlives them by at least 120 hours....
The condition of your estate in South Carolina after you pass will depend on several factors. One of them will be whether or not you are in debt. If you are, your estate may be subjected to a probate sale. This process entails the sale of assets to satisfy your...