My Spouse Passed Away, What Should I Do?
We are so sorry that you have a need to visit this page and would like to extend our deepest condolences to you and your family. We understand that this is a difficult time, and our goal is to assist clients through this process to relieve some of the administrative burdens. How you and your spouse owned property and assets dictates the method you must use to transition them. Your Estate Plan will also play a significant role in this process. This is a challenging time for many reasons, but help is available.
What You Need to Know Now
There are several things that you need to consider after your spouse has passed away. Any Power of Attorney (POA) documents you had for your spouse expire at death. Because of this expiration, you will no longer be able to act in the capacity of POA and will now need to know if you are acting as a Trustee or Personal Representative. Your title will depend on what type of Estate Plan you have, and will also govern what your next steps will be.
Learn about How to Resolve Your Spouse's Estate
This is also an important time to have your overall Estate Plan and disability documents reviewed and updated. If your spouse was your primary agent for Powers of Attorney documents, was a Co-Trustee of your Trust, or was listed as your Personal Representative on a Will, you will need to update your documents. Our experienced Estate Planning Attorneys at Hooper Law Office can assist you through this process.
