Full question:
My father died 3 a half years ago. I believe very strongly he had a trust account. He was highly invested all his life, and spent 30 years hiding it from my mother who is a big time gambler.Since his death there have been many inuendos about there being a trust but when I have asked both my mother and sister (who live together) they deny it.These inuendos have been many;for example my mother said she was a trustee in the estate,how would you feel if your husband left all his money to your son.My sister has said that her and mom moved all the money and if i want my share I will have to fight for it if i can figure out the one thing they did.She said if they get caught moving the money they will blame it on me.And there is so many more things or hints dropped. There is no will probated.I know trusts are not public knowledge but there has to be someway to find out .
- Category: Trusts
- Date:
- State: New Jersey
Answer:
Suggested places to look include a safe deposit box, under the mattress, between pages of books, in glove boxes or trunks of vehicles, or wall or floor safes. A court order may be required to look in a safe deposit box if you're not on the signature card.
If you're unable to identify the attorney who drew up the trust, you may look through checkbooks to find checks written to attorneys or law firms. As a last resort, one might try cold calling lawyers in the area yellow pages. Be thorough, although an attorney may not remember the client, he or she may have referred them to a paralegal or someone else in the probate department.
Friends of the deceased who may have witnessed the trust may be consulted to see if if the deceased ever mentioned where the document was kept or who drew it up. The deceased's address book will be a source of names to call.
Some states allow a notice of trust or related document to be filed at the courthouse, so you may try calling the courthouse (ask for the Probate Division) to see if the trust was filed at the courthouse.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
