A friend’s Mother passed away recently. She had a will, and the elderly husband has not called their attorney yet. It has been two weeks since her passing. Both according to the will and the law of this state, he gets everything.
However, what happens if he never calls the attorney to get the ball rolling? He is not well educated and simply may never call because he doesn’t understand all these things.
What’s stopping your friend from calling the attorney? Is someone appointed as executor? You don’t have to be the recipient of the proceeds in order to inform the right people.
It could well be that the home and bank accounts were in joint form with full right of survivor-ship. There would be no need for the husband to do anything. He would have full access to everything. At some point he would need a copy of the death certificate to help sell the house, but that’s all. It would be smart to move any money to a fresh account.
At two weeks it’s too early to expect a grieving husband to do much. I assume the husband is aware of the assets and the status of beneficiaries. If he is not mentally competent, then a third party look at things is advisable.
Just because a person has a will and dies does not necessarily mean it needs to be filed and any estate opened in probate.