California Probate Code Section 217 prohibits businesses, such as the cable company, telephone company and other companies doing business in California from requiring or demanding a person who is handling a decedent’s affairs to come to their facility or office to handle the cancellation of services in person.
What does this mean?
It means that when you [...]
Estate Planning, Southern California Attorney
Category Archives: Handling Decedent's Affairs
New Law Makes It Easy To Cancel Services
When Your Parents Die Broke.
Here’s a very interesting article that addresses what happens if your parents die broke. I think this is something that we all wonder from time to time how situations like these are handled when it comes to settling a loved one’s estate.
The author writes: "[l]egally, you’re probably not on the hook for their debts. [...]
Student Loans Are Forgiven … At Death.
Student loans are an interesting type of debt. It’s not necessarily bad debt as it is for a good purpose. Interest rates and repayment plans are usually reasonable. But as debt goes, you cannot discharge your student loans by filing for bankruptcy. If you die, however, they are forgiven. Nice to know that some things [...]
Pesky Medical Bills.
Are you dealing with unpaid medical bills from a loved one’s estate? Here are some tips to help you get through the medical mumbo jumbo.
First, wait for all of the bills to come in. It is okay and often recommended not to pay these bills right away. You want each medical facility or insurance company [...]
Is There a Will in a Safe Deposit Box?
It is common for a Will or Trust to be stored in a safe deposit box. But what happens when the original box owner passes away? And there is no other joint owner of the box? Who can retrieve the Will or Trust? Or even see if there’s a Will or Trust in the box? [...]
What To Do With Undeposited Checks After Someone Dies.
It is rather common to come across checks that were issued right around when a loved one passes away. The question is what to do with those checks.
If probate will be opened, then you will need to inventory those checks and deposit them into the estate checking account as part of probate. This can [...]
Outstanding Debts at Death.
A little primer on how outstanding debts are handled for those who pass away.
Outstanding debt can range from the last cell phone bill, an electricity bill or credit cards. It also includes unpaid taxes like property taxes or income taxes. Plus those mortgages and other secured loans.
If probate is opened when a loved one [...]
Some Steps To Take When a Loved One Dies.
If you have lost a loved one recently, you may be overwhelmed with grief during this time. You may want to leave the administrative matters for a later day, but the following steps should be taken care of as soon as possible:
Contact Social Security Administration if the deceased was an eligible recipient
Send a notification and [...]
More About Cremations in California.
Yesterday, I posted about a family arguing over cremation or burial of their father’s remains.
Did you know that the state of California has a Cemetery and Funeral Bureau? Their website is very informative about all aspects of funeral, burial and cremation.
Cremations in California must be authorized by a loved one with authority to [...]
Can You Sue Your Siblings for Cremating Your Parents?
I got this call yesterday. Someone’s father passed away. He had 8 children. Half the kids say that Dad wanted to be buried. The other half wanted to cremate him.
My first question, did Dad have an Advance Health Care Directive?
"No," says the distraught son.
Well, of course not, otherwise I would not have gotten the phone [...]
