Tag: Powers of Attorney

What to Know if You Are the Executor

Posted on | by Tom

The executor of an estate has an important job. He or she has been entrusted to follow the wishes of the deceased, and it is important that the executor understands the expectations set in the will, understands the law in the presiding state, and is able to adhere to both as much as possible.

The executor has eight main tasks:

  1. Introduce the will into court for probate
  2. Notify the next of kin and the beneficiaries
  3. Locate all assets
  4. Identify all debts and obligations
  5. Pay the obligations in the order of priority
  6. Filing income and/or estate tax returns, where applicable
  7. Distribute the remainder to the beneficiaries
  8. Close the estate

How to Introduce the Will

Every county has a procedure for introducing the will into the local surrogate’s court.

Typically, the executor must provide the original will, an official death certificate, the required information about the deceased, the names and address of the next of kin and the beneficiaries, and the required identification information about the executor.

If the court accepts all the documents, then it will issue the Letters Testamentary and the Executor Short Certificates. This documentation establishes that the executor can act on behalf of the estate, and it will be needed when interacting with different fiduciaries or institutions on behalf of the estate.

Notify the Next of Kin and the Beneficiaries

Once the court accepts the will into probate, the executor must notify the next of kin and the beneficiaries. The executor must also make a copy of the will available to them upon request.

New Jersey requires that notice be sent through certified mail. New Jersey also has a time limit for notifying beneficiaries. The clock starts once the will has been accepted into probate.

An attorney can help make sure that the executor meets any statutory deadlines. An attorney can also help if a beneficiary’s address is unknown or cannot be found.

Once the necessary parties have been noticed, the executor must turn over to the court proof that the beneficiaries received proper notice and that they received the notice in time.

Locate all Assets

The executor must find all assets that the decedent owned. If these are probate assets, the executor must get control of them so they can be used to pay off the decedent’s debts. The rest can be distributed in accordance with the will.

Unless the decedent had prepared his or her estate planning documents through a specialized estate planning firm that prepared a comprehensive asset spreadsheet as part of the estate plan, it is hard to know what the decedent owned or how to get control of it. Moreover, the decedent could have lived in different states or countries having different assets in different places. Sometimes, the custodian of the property is not cooperative. An attorney can be helpful if you are having trouble locating the decedent’s assets or getting estate assets released.

Identify All Debts and Obligations

New Jersey has specific rules about the order of priority when it comes to paying the decedent’s debts. It is important that the executor pays the bills in the correct order because if the funds run out, and the executor paid lower priority bills before higher priority bills, the creditor could sue the executor for its loss.  Additionally, the executor has to be aware of whether or not federal or state death taxes are due from the estate and must review the will to see who (the estate or the individual beneficiaries) are responsible for payment.

In New Jersey, the costs of the administration are one of the higher priority bills, which includes any attorney’s fees and the executor’s commission. New Jersey also regulates how much the executor is allowed to be paid based on the size of the estate. If the estate is large or difficult to manage, it may make sense to hire an attorney to help with the administration and ensure that the proper procedures are followed.

Filing Income Tax Returns, Where Applicable

Depending on how long the estate will be kept open, the executor has a duty to report all income earned by the estate during this time. The deadline for this filing is based on either a calendar year or a fiscal year and must be reported on a Form 1041. NJ no longer has an estate tax, but if the worldwide assets of a decedent are greater than the exemption, or if the decedent was a NY resident with significant assets, then a federal estate tax return or NY state estate tax return may be due. Finally, where the estate assets are below the threshold, there may still be a need to file an estate tax return to elect portability.[1] In these cases, it is extremely important that the executor review the will carefully to see who can pay the taxes—the individual beneficiaries or the estate out of the residue.

Distributing the Remainder to the Beneficiaries

Once the bills have been paid, the executor is to distribute the rest of the assets in accordance with the will. Not all gifts to beneficiaries have the same priority. There is a difference between an equal distribution of estate residue to the children of the decedent and giving specific assets/bequests to specific beneficiaries.

It is important that the executor understands the difference and correctly distributes the assets, or else he or she can be held personally liable for any mistakes.

This is especially important when the executor is one of the beneficiaries. The executor has the ability to make decisions on behalf of the estate including liquidating assets and distributing the cash, he or she must act in accordance with the will. The executor cannot use his or her position to unfairly distribute assets or disadvantage another beneficiary. An attorney representing the estate can also act as a check to make sure the executor is not exceeding his or her authority. New Jersey also requires paperwork be completed before the distributions to the beneficiaries. This involves securing releases from all beneficiaries to avoid personal liability for the executor for nonpayment of taxes or for making distributions to beneficiaries with outstanding child support obligation subject to wage garnishment. An attorney can help prepare all of the needed forms and make sure everything is properly accounted for and signed.

Closing the Estate

Once the bills have been paid and the assets have been distributed, the executor should file any outstanding estate or inheritance tax paperwork, where applicable, and then close the estate by filing a final court filing.

Closing the estate is important because if the estate is left open, then the executor is still personally liable should any new creditors emerge or if any beneficiaries complain after accepting his or her share.

Final Remarks

An estate administration will take at least nine months from the decedent’s death until the estate can be closed. In some cases, the administration can take much longer, potentially years depending on the size of the estate, the number of beneficiaries involved, the location of the assets, or any complications that arise along the way (for example. if there is confusion as to ownership of any assets or if any provisions in the will are unclear).

An attorney can help the executor by ensuring the proper procedures are filed, that the required paperwork is completed and submitted, and by acting as a buffer between the executor and the next of kin, beneficiaries, or the fiduciaries and institutions involved. All of this can ultimately help save the executor time and stress during what will be a difficult situation.

 

 

 

[1] Portability refers to the act of taking over a deceased spouse’s unused exemption which is to be added to the surviving spouse’s exemption.

Questions you didn’t know that you did not know about Medicaid planning: What I have learned as a Medicaid specialist at an elder law firm!

Posted on | by Tom

Life has a way of going on, the clock is always ticking, and time never stops. However, if that unfortunate time comes when you may need financial assistance from the government to help pay for long term care costs, then your life may come to a screeching halt as you now must look back on your life (five years to be exact) and recall the “why” and “for what” on certain withdrawals from your accounts for this period of time.

Working as a Medicaid Specialist for Rao Legal Group, an estate and elder law firm in Princeton, NJ, I have come to see the value in planning early and preparing for the day when you may need long term care.

The things you do now can change what happens in the last chapter of your life, and so many people don’t even consider the consequences of each and everything they do on a daily basis.

Something as simple as paying your grandson when he mows your lawn every week because that chore has become difficult for you. Did you know that even a small check made out to him for mowing could be called into question later should you decide to apply for Medicaid benefits? And if you wrote out these checks on a weekly basis, then without clear proof that you were getting something in exchange for this payment, Medicaid could likely consider those checks as gifts to him?

Or, how about when your daughter and her family were kind enough to help by doing your grocery shopping for you. Maybe you’re not able to shop on your own, or you simply don’t have the energy for it. When your family pitches in to help you by paying for certain things with their own money, of course you want to reimburse them for the items purchased. Did you write a check? Did you take some cash out of your ATM for this purpose? Are they doing your shopping every week? Did you remember to keep the receipts and keep an accurate record? Do you have a loan agreement in place? If not, Medicaid may look at these checks or withdrawals as gifts, too. And they have up to five years of these transactions, so maintaining proof of all these receipts/reimbursements may be useful to justify such expenses.

Perhaps you have a son who is hardworking and providing for his family by working two jobs, but suddenly, he is unable to work because of an accident. Now, the bills are adding up for him, and his family needs groceries and the electric bill is overdue. This is a time when you would like to help them out, buying food or paying a bill — isn’t that what families do for one another? But what if we told you that Medicaid would treat that as a gift, which could in turn disqualify you for a certain period from receiving government assistance if this transaction occurred within five years of your Medicaid application.

Have you ever needed to have someone move into your home to help with bills? Or maybe you just have a friend who needs a place to stay temporarily. Your friend wants to pay rent to you for the time at your home. Has a rental agreement been prepared? What will Medicaid require as proof of the payments made to you?

On the flip side, sometimes people have worked hard and are lucky enough to have some assets set aside to pay for the needs of their families. They may have even been frugal enough to save this money for the future, along with paying a mortgage on their home. What if your house needs some repairs? Have you hired a contractor to help with some renovations? Did you have them write up a contract? Or did they want you to make out the check to cash? Are you aware that if you do not have accurate records and receipts, then Medicaid might look at those expenses as gifts, too?

Finally, if you own your home — have you considered what could happen if you became ill and needed long term care? What will happen to your home? Have you thought about the rules surrounding Medicaid and the agency’s rights to assess a lien on your home upon your death?

Maybe you have other assets, another property besides your primary residence? Or perhaps you have acquired some stocks and bonds, an IRA, or even a life insurance policy? All such assets will be looked at by Medicaid as countable assets that would need to be completely spent down prior to applying for Medicaid.

Another area to consider is the rising cost of care. You could have a small “nest egg” built up, one you worked hard to put away, and you believe that some of these investments will allow you to live out your life on these assets with a small portion passing down to your loved ones. But with the rising costs of long-term care, one major health event could land you in a situation where that nest egg is depleted and without proper advanced planning, you may not be able to protect your assets.

It can be daunting to apply for Medicaid benefits — trust me, I know this first-hand in my role as a Medicaid specialist and assisting clients and their families with their Medicaid applications.

If you meet the clinical eligibility requirements for Medicaid, you still must jump over the hurdle of meeting the financial eligibility requirements. If you don’t meet with a qualified elder law firm to help you with your planning, you could be missing out on the opportunity to avail yourself of certain strategies to help you to protect some of your assets and still qualify for Medicaid.

Some final questions: Have you set up a Financial or Healthcare Power of Attorney? How about a Will? It is so important to have these Estate Planning documents prepared. When you are suddenly not able to make decisions for yourself, it is imperative that you have someone in place that can make those decisions for you. When the day arrives that you no longer can care for yourself, you want to be ready.

The best advice I can offer to you is to do your research, get your Estate Planning documents prepared by a qualified elder law attorney, and then have your questions addressed by the attorney so that you can be ready when the day comes that you need help. Don’t wait until you already need the help, because remember, life has a way of going on, and the clock is still ticking.

My special needs child is about to turn 18 – What should I do?

Posted on | by Tom

Children with special needs, who are under the age of 18, are considered minors in the state of New Jersey. Until then, parents have full authority to act on behalf of their child(ren) when it comes to making important decisions. But once the child turns 18, parents are often caught off guard when they discover that although the child continues to be dependent on his or her parents long after they turn 18, parents no longer have the same authority as before, as the children are now deemed adults under the eyes of the law. Financial, legal, and healthcare decisions can no longer be made as before, and in the unfortunate situation when one or both parents pass away, assets passing to the child as an inheritance could trigger adverse consequences if the child has been receiving critical government benefits.

So what can you do now to avoid a disaster from occurring?

As a first step, you will need to begin the process of a guardianship (typically, this should be started a few months before the child turns 18). This involves filing a Verified Complaint with the courts, requesting your (and your spouse, where applicable), appointment as legal guardian of your child.  While it is rare for a judge to deny guardianship to a parent, the formalities of the guardianship process still need to be adhered to. 

The application must include, among other things, certifications from two physicians (one of these could be made by a licensed psychologist). The court will then appoint an attorney to conduct an investigation of the interested parties and then prepare a report for the judge, either confirming or rejecting the appointment of the Petitioner. Finally, a hearing is conducted before the judge, so all relevant parties can appear and be heard in court. Once the judge approves the appointment, a final judgment containing the decision is circulated to all parties. 

At this time, the parent(s) will need to appear at the surrogate’s office to become qualified and collect their Letter of Appointment. Be prepared to incur some expenses associated with the filing fees and legal costs, especially if you choose to go with private attorneys for both the submission of your application (as opposed to going pro se) and for the court appointment. Depending on the situation, a court may also be able to appoint an attorney from the Public Defender’s office at no charge to the parents, but this could delay things a bit. A final judgment signed by the judge at the end of the proceeding will then grant you the right to procure Letters of Guardianship.

The next step is to consider whether or not you want to set up Special Needs Trusts (SNT) for your child. Here you have an option to set up (1) a first-party special needs trust and/or (2) a third-party supplemental needs trust as stand-alone trusts. These trusts can hold assets of your child’s or assets passing from you, respectively, without jeopardizing your child’s government benefits. These assets are meant to supplement, but not supplant, any other benefits so your child can have an enhanced quality of life without concern that the critical benefits provided by the government would be denied.  

Finally, you should definitely consider setting up or updating your own existing estate plan to ensure that all of your assets passing to your child upon death are protected by either having the assets pass into the stand alone SNT that you set up (see above paragraph), or have it pass into a SNT under your Will. It is  important to consult with the estate planning attorney as to which trust should hold the inheritance.  Inadvertently naming the wrong SNT could result in having the assets inside of the trust going to the estate, instead of the family or other heirs.  

Getting Documents Signed Amid Coronavirus Precautions

Posted on | by Tom

During this time of worldwide uncertainty, many of us are facing huge portions of our lives suddenly being moved online. Telecommuting has proven that we can do plenty of our daily activities from home—but there are still limitations. Historically, the signing and notarization of estate planning documents is not something that can be done without all participants sitting together at a table with the physical documents between them. In many places and for many kinds of documents, this is still true, but remote online notarization is a practice that is gaining more recognition.

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In New York, Governor Cuomo recently signed an executive order amidst coronavirus precautions allowing the use of remote online notarization statewide; this is an unprecedented usage of executive orders.1 Some have called for guidance from the highest state courts regarding this action, seeking assurance that the order will be allowed to stand before its validity is confirmed. At the same time, other states are considering the option to take similar measures in order to respond to the spread of coronavirus worldwide—these orders may have even been signed by the time of this reading.

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For a few weeks, New Jersey lagged behind many states who had already jumped on the bandwagon. Both houses of the New Jersey state legislature debated whether “certain notarial acts” could be performed remotely since mid-March, but it took until nearly a month later for an Act to be signed into law. On April 14, Governor Murphy signed a bill into law that allows for certain kinds of remote notarization during the Public Health Emergency and State of Emergency declared by the governor in Executive Order 103 of 2020.2 Frustratingly, this Act excludes the signing of wills and codicils. However, it is at least applicable for matters such as the creation of HIPAA waivers, healthcare directives, and powers of attorney.3 Firms have developed creative strategies to sign estate planning documents during the past month of waiting to hear whether the bill would pass; now that we have a path forward, we can use remote online notarization in conjunction with these strategies to ensure that we continue to serve our clients’ needs without face to face conference room type meetings.

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Overall, 23 states have approved remote online notarization in some capacity, though the requirements and breadth of this ability differ from state to state. Efforts are underway to establish federally recognized remote online notarization.4 The SECURE Notarization Act is a proposed bill in the Senate that aims to do exactly that, legalizing remote online notarizations nationwide—possibly immediately, should it be passed. Currently, the text of the bill is not available, but a summary of the bill indicates that it will provide minimum security standards for the usage of remote online notarization as well as provide certainty for recognition of online notarization between states. States would continue to have the flexibility to implement their own remote online notarization standards above the federal baseline.

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As with many other things during the unfolding COVID-19 outbreak, the status of New Jersey’s remote online notarization is still uncertain as the situation continues to unfold. If you are concerned about how best to get your documents executed within the state during this time, the best thing you can do is speak to a specialized estate planning attorney who you can trust to evaluate your options and explain what options may potentially be on the way in the coming days to look out for. Here at Rao Legal Group, LLC (“RLG”) we are utilizing phone calls and video conferences to continue to provide our clients with the outstanding service we are known for while keeping the distance necessary to protect our communities. We are available to help you—call us today to learn more about how we can help you prepare for the future at a time when it’s more important than ever to do so.

 

  1. 1. https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/no-2027-continuing-temporary-suspension-and-modification-laws-relating-disaster-emergency
  2. 2. https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp?BillNumber=A3903
  3. 3. https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bills/BillView.asp?BillNumber=A3864
  4. 4. https://senatorkevincramer.app.box.com/s/baz8p9czm0bijkicxbeb7mb7cxby7mio

Incapacity Planning

Posted on | by Rekha Rao

It’s hard to believe that the holiday season is well behind us and we are into the first week of February!  This post was originally scheduled for a January submission but due to a recent good interruption last week (my attendance at the Heckerling Conference on Estate Planning in Orlando, Florida), there was a slight delay.  Stay tuned for my musings of the conference in the coming weeks.  Thank you!

We all know that people download Wills off of Legal Zoom thinking that “some” plan in place is better than none at all; rather than incur the expense of engaging an attorney, their thought is to come up with a quick solution to ensure their family’s protection.  The problem with this approach is that one may actually be causing more harm than good.  For ex. if all a person created was a Last Will & Testament, then what happens if that person got hit by a truck and went into a coma for several months or years?  What does the family do when they need to pay bills, run the household or just take care of the incapacitated person?  Any good estate planning attorney will offer as part of the estate planning package along with a Last Will & Testament, a broad and robust Financial Power of Attorney as well as a Health Care Directive naming an Authorized Representative to make decisions upon incapacity.

 

Okay, so I know you are thinking: “Fine – I’ll just download these Powers of Attorney and I am all set.   From what you say, these documents are all I need to cover me then, right?”  Not so fast!  Drafting your own legal documents with the help of Legal Zoom or other online software tools is like trying to fix your car using a manual.  I don’t know about you but I know I will not get very far fixing a carburetor using a manual.

 

There are specific powers in a power of attorney that we look for when we help families – from the Medicaid planning perspective, I am looking for certain powers of the agent to help an aging parent or spouse set up trusts or apply for government benefits; for banks, I want to ensure that the agent has all of the proper authority under the document that banks are looking for; gift giving provisions are hugely helpful where there is a taxable estate and assets need to be transferred out of the estate when someone is incapacitated but where death may be imminent.

 

Finally, most people are clueless when you talk to them about the difference between probate and non-probate assets.  To give you some perspective – let’s talk about a widowed surviving spouse who takes it upon himself to draft all of the required documents discussed above and gets them properly signed, witnessed & notarized.  And let’s also say that this individual was savvy enough to ensure that his two minor children do not get the assets from his estate outright but rather he designed the Will to put those assets into a trust for his children until age 30.  Now let’s assume that this individual has a primary residence that he owns “joint tenants with a right of survivorship or JTWROS” with his brother and the only other asset he has is a significant life insurance policy where he has named his children as primary beneficiaries in equal shares on the designated beneficiary form.  Imagine this individual’s surprise when he is told that his beautifully designed Will cannot work as intended because at his death, these assets would bypass the Will and be handed to the named beneficiaries directly!  These are red flags that a good estate planner will point out and take it upon himself or herself to ensure that the documents are designed in a way that fulfill the Testator’s objectives.

 

It’s difficult to understand the work estate planning attorneys do on the back-end.  Although I have heard people stating this quite often, good estate planning is never about simply “copying & pasting” or using “boiler-plate” documents.  Each family’s situation is unique and even the most straightforward family situation may present nuances that are unique only to that family.  My job is to ensure that you or your family never have to spend wasted money undoing mistakes and hopefully never have to enter a court of law to contest or dispute the provisions contained within the documents.