Wills and Estates

What legal rights does a wife have to her husband's estate if the husband has not made any legal changes to include the wife in the estate ie the house remains in his name as does all investments, his company, insurance etc.?

My father died Jan '09 with a will, appointing me executrix and leaving everything to my sister and me evenly split. Unfortunately, the will was hand written w/ no witnesses and no notarization. So the clerk of the court declared the will invalid, but said it didnt matter because my sister and I were heirs-at- law by Virginia state law anyway(Our mother passed away ten years ago). He had a car loan and outstanding debts on several credit cards. My husband and I took care of the car loan because we did not want the car to be repossessed, but he also had credit cards with outstanding balances of $14,000, $2500 and $490, plus a few other smaller ones. None of the credit cards had credit card insurance on them. Are we liable for those debts? He does have a house which we just recently put on the market, but we have no idea how much we will get for it or when it will sell. Would really appreciate some guidance on whether or not we are legally liable for the outstanding debts and if we have to pay them off from the proceeds of the sale of the house.

My father left a will and left all his belongings to me and my husband. He also left behind a lot of unsecured debt. We want to try and keep his house, as we would like to move into his house, but would like to keep this matter out of probate court. Would an affidavit of heirship work for the transferring of the deed? He owes a mortgage on the property also, but we are fully willing to pay this off first. What papers do we need to file?

I am retired and have $400,000 in my IRA account. I own a $300,000 home, with my wife. My children are grown and my wife is the benificary on IRA. Why do I need a will?

My husband died in October, 2007. We were legally married and were living under the same roof until 4 weeks prior to his death from ALS. I was his primary caretaker. In August 2007 he entered the hospital for 2 weeks, then was released in the care of his sister, a RN, who along with their siblings helped to care for my husband. During this time, behind my back, my sister in law was made general Power of Attorney. My sister in law proceeded to have my husband's valuables removed from my home while I was away, signed my husband's 1994 ford truck to her brother, got possession of and unknown amount of money (approximately $40,000.00), that was to be put in trust for my two children 9 and 12. My sister in law will not show me any documents or proof and will not speak to me in any way to answer any of my questions. <br/> Can I revoke her POA or legally force her to provide documentation of these transactions? Also, was it legal for her to sign over my husband's truck to her brother? I also am unaware as to whether my husband had a legal will or the whereabouts of his personal saving's account that contained $35,000. According to the last statement I saw in Aug 2008. This statement and many other documents were removed from my home while I was away along with my husband's valuables. I was not told what law firm was used and I feel like I am backed against the wall with no options. My husband's bank manager won't talk to me because this one account of my husband's did not have my name on it. I was unemployed and caring for my husband.