Validation

[susandennis]

The reason I wanted to talk to my financial guy in the first place was to get his take on how to direct SteveTheLawyer. We were getting to a place in the estate where he's asking me for decisions that create/avoid taxes.

My decision, which also impacts SamTheFriend, was holding things up. I made it on Friday and emailed it out.

Just now, I got a very satisfying email from SteveTheLawyer. The house closing is Friday. He's finally started the liquidation process (of the investments) and hopes to have a spreadsheet of the estate details this week.

This does not mean we'll get anything this week (I've learned SteveTheLawyer operates on a different temporal plane than normal) but it does mean that things are finally moving along. Finally.

So I am most delighted that I went ahead on my own.

The estate will need attention and be part of my life at least until the taxes are filed in April and maybe even until they are filed in April of 2024, but hopefully, we can get it mostly done with no more decisions.

I know SamTheFriend has been really anxious and, hopefully, he's feeling better now. I know I am. What my cousin wanted will happen - more slowly - but pretty much the way he wanted it. And that makes me happy.

Comments

Estates

[bill_schubert]

Dana's Mom died 21 years ago. I'm working on her estate last week and this one. Right now it appears that someone just kind of stopped doing it, got bored or busy or something.

I'm also creating more detailed plans with my stuff.

Live and learn and/or die and leave a mess.

Re: Estates

[susandennis]

holy crap. yeah. i think poor sam, whose 78, was wondering if he was going to live long enough to see it through.

and that's why we spent the afternoon at BECU getting your name on all the accounts. You'll have to fuck with the condo but the rest should be pretty straight forward.

BUT if you die first - i hope we both land somewhere we can watch matt and alex deal.

[spiffikins]

Woohoo! Progress!

Watching my friend go through dealing with the mess of her dad's affairs after he passed, got me off my butt and to the lawyer's office a few years ago, to get all my stuff into a revocable trust. That apparently is The Thing One Does (at least in california) in order to avoid having to go through probate.

While I was doing that, I got a will and wrote up paperwork giving my brother power to make medical decisions for me if I am unable to do so myself.

My world is extra fun since I'm in the US and my brothers (and beneficiaries) are in Canada - so the trust is actually extra helpful since it survives my death and means that no decisions have to be made immediately since the house and other assets still have a "legal" owner after I die, that can continue to "live" as long as necessary to sort things out.

[susandennis]

very smart. that's what my cousin did and even tho it's been a pia dealing with the estate it would have been a pia*25 dealing with all the various bits and pieces. The trust is a gift to those who inherit for sure.

[spiffikins]

The biggest issue with my friend's dad's estate is that it was not big enough for any probate lawyer to be willing to take it on - it wasn't worth their time. But she wasn't able to move forward without going through that step, so she was stuck for a long time.

Finally she found a legal secretary who knew what paperwork was needed, and was willing to do it for her. But oy - for more than a year, everyone she talked to, she was like "HAVE YOU MADE YOUR TRUST YET?" LOL

[thestainlesssteelrat]

"I've learned SteveTheLawyer operates on a different temporal plane than normal"

I LOL'd 🤣

[vysila]

Glad you were able to make a decision and set things in motion. Few things worse than waiting on someone else to have to make a decision.

I'm still dithering on whether to make a revocable trust or just a will. I know the trusts can be pretty expensive to set up so I want to do it only once, which may mean waiting until after I relocate (if I live so long). So... I should probably get off my rear and do the will in the meantime.

[kaishin108]

What a relief to get that going!