Help! My I Can’t Get My Inheritance
I’ve gotten a steady stream of calls over the years from people who are having trouble getting their inheritance from a trust.
There are a number of reasons a trustee won’t make a distribution.
Probably the most common reason is the trustee doesn’t understand the trust. Sometimes, the trustee doesn’t understand their duties. A trustee may be just plain lazy. Some trustees won’t make distributions because they’ve done something wrong and they’re hoping to cover it up. The trustee may have mismanaged trust assets or, in some cases, wrongfully taken trust assets for themselves.
What should I do?
One piece of advice I give to every beneficiary who calls me saying they can’t get their inheritance is DON’T WAIT. Do something about it now! If the trustee is incompetent or dishonest, then they may need to forced to act or they may need to removed. Also, the law only gives you a limited amount of time to act. If you wait too long you may end up not been able to get anything at all.
I am here to help you get the inheritance that you rightfully deserve! Call me!
Usually a trust beneficiary will start by asking the trustee for information about the trust. Under the law in California, the trustee is supposed to send a formal notice to all the beneficiaries and provide them with an opportunity to obtain a copy of the trust and all amendments. If you can solve the problem by simply having a conversation with them, then by all means do it. If they don’t respond, it sometimes takes a letter from an attorney to stimulate the trustee to act.