My last parent estate was so simple, there was no probate. There were just multiple smaller bank accounts and a few investment portfolios with well-known broker agencies. All assets were titled as POD or TOD, divided among several siblings, who cooperated fully. It still took 2 years! Companies would ask for proof A,B,C. When submitted, they then said "OH, we also need D & E. Mistakes were made by banks that had to be corrected; changing car title, closing out taxes, etc. Nothing substantial, just lots of delayed paperwork.
I think I need to reset my expectations! Almost everything was TOD for my dad too but there is still a condo and one bank account that needs to go through probate.
How complicated and how long really depend on your state and each family’s particulars. Don’t lose hope yet. It also helps if the family member managing this has a head for details, is organized, and follows up.
One of mine, locally, only took 6 months to get rubber stamped. No will, but the priority chain of heirs was clear. In my mother’s case, the specific county in AZ let me self declare, get a local certification (“Medallion”) here, no filing, oversight, or approval needed.
In contrast, there are posters who needed years to unravel.
Good luck.
My mother died last summer, small estate so no probate, final tax return for her personally filed at the end of 2019. She still owned her home which has been rented for a long time as it’s in an area that has been difficult to sell since 2008 crash stuff happened. That house is in a trust so it did not delay the personal estate. We hope the tenant buys it this year or, if not, we let him move out and sell it this year and will complete a final trust tax return. No probate, no complicated court delays etc.
I have a friend whose sister died in CA and was a hoarder, no utilities to the house, vermin, etc. They elected to let the local county representative handle it, I think it’s been over a year now, the house was finally sold, but there are all sorts of little paperwork things still being done, it feels really slow to my friend, not problematic, just, “wow, this is still going on, thank God I did not try to be executor.”
I forget if I mentioned here that I visited with an estate attorney to see if there is anything I should be doing now, while both parents are still alive, in order to make settling estates easier. We discussed changing their wills in order to preserve some of the estate should their medical needs escalate. Luckily I am an only child so to me, while this feels a little weird, we aren’t really changing the eventual recipient of their assets, just the manner in which they are delivered.
It’s crazy how much paperwork can be involved and they don’t even own any real estate any more, just mutual funds and IRAs~
Vanilla is blocking me from completing my post. Should read:
Someone mentioned costs. My estate atty charged me about 2k for the planning. At the time, I thought, Geez, a lot. In retrospect, it’s small for the peace of mind and knowing an expert walked me through the considerations. The basis is set and I can make changes as the kids grow older and presumably wiser.
2k for a lawyer is cheap!
Getting a good estate plan and advice about how to do things so YOUR wishes are carried out as well as possible is priceless, IMHO. There are people who will do things for lower prices but the lowest price isn’t always the best at helping you figure out exactly what you want and how to best obtain it.
We hired an estate attorney several years ago. The bank offered to connect us with a few that had package deals for about $1000 to provide a will, durable and medical power of attorney, and I’m not sure what else. We chose to find a person that was recommended by an attorney we respected who worked for a bank. We were very pleased that he was able to help us solidify what our estate was likely to look like and how he could best create and have us execute the documents that would carry out our wishes. Later, when a relative died, he helped us clear the title to the properties associated with the relative at no extra charge, and talked to the estate attorney of the recently deceased at no extra charge as well. Honestly, I can’t recall the exact amount we paid but it was probably over $2000, but we considered it money well spent.
We will likely meet with him again after COVIDi-19 is fully under control to review our estate plan and see what revisions we should be considering/making. I consider a good estate attorney an invaluable investment.
Send me to a different thread if there’s a better one…but here goes - Medicare related…
My mom (who is 79) is currently on Medicare, and along with that, for years has had Medigap (N) and Medicare Part D coverage through my late father’s retiree plan. She was notified earlier this year that beginning in 2021 she will no longer be covered through the retiree plan and needs to get her own plan(s) if she chooses to (which she does).
In looking into this, it appears that she’d notice the least change if she were to obtain a Medigap (N) policy and a Part D policy on her own, most likely through Medicare.gov or something. My question is, if she’s been covered on a Medigap (N) group policy since she went on Medicare (when she turned 65, I’d imagine), does that “count” as coverage when she goes to try and obtain Medigap on her own? Or will she get dinged for age/preexisting conditions at that point. Another option seems to be switching to a Medicare Advantage plan, which may have some advantages.
Complicating things is that she has had breast cancer, and very recently, scary news of recurrence. So obviously not a great time to have to investigate changing plans.
Thoughts? Advice? Experiences?
@JustaMom5465 , sorry you are going through this now with the recurrence.
Have you investigated why the retirement plan is ending - that seems odd to me if she had been covered after your father’s death. Usually those benefits continue for the beneficiary’s lifetime.
I believe you mother should have received a 1095-B form from her insurer for proof of coverage. I did receive one for 2019, from my late husband’s benefits.
Best of luck.
@mominva after I read you response I asked my mom for the letter about the retirement plan ending, to see if there was a reason given. SCORE! It’s effective on January 1, 2022 - not this January but NEXT! So glad you prompted me to look. This is HUGE for her; she is so relieved. THANK YOU 
“The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business have been significant…/ / it’s clear that further action is required given the impact we expect this to have and the broader need to transform our cost structure…/ / At the end of 2021, XXX will be closing the XXX Medicare supplemental medical and prescription drug plans.”
Followed by resources to help with enrollment in the future. Also I read up on “Medigap Guaranteed Issue Rights” which I think is the answer to my question.
THANK YOU AGAIN!
I believe the employer paid coverage will count, but the best way to handle this may be to get an agent in your Mom’s state, who writes Medicare supplements. They should know the system.
Also, it’s not unusual for employer retiree coverage to change terms, my Dad’s coverage was changed on my mother such that we had to go out and get her an individual policy quite a few years ago. I am sure it must save them money somehow.
@JustaMom5465 If your mother’s an AARP member, could they be a resource? My mother has her supplemental policy through them, but I’m clueless as to type and terms. I have the impression they could offer options or suggestions.
So was with my mother last week and she was doing great. Today, back in the hospital, with high blood pressure from a uti since she has a kidney Stent that needs to be changed. This is her MO. I called the head nurse since they run all these tests and end up at the same conclusion. She thanked me and hopefully it will be a short visit. She just finished rehab and both leg wounds have healed… She not happy being back there especially since no one can visit since they all have comorbidities… Agh…
So sorry that your mom is back in the hospital @Knowsstuff :(. I hope it’s a quick and she’ll be back home very soon (and with no further issues with home care either!)
@momofsenior1 …thx. I was with her last week after taking my son to Michigan and the nurse there brought her a casserole and the other one baked her something also…I think we are good there…LOL…
@JustaMom5465 — your state Dept of Health should have an office on aging and a person who works with Medicare and can help advise folks who need to sort through various Medicare options, at no charge and with no financial incentive. They’re trained and state employees or volunteers.
I’d start there and see what they recommend. You can also ask your state insurance commissioner for names and contact info for insurance agents in your mom’s area. Glad she has >1 yr to sort this out.
What is your experience with turnover at an assisted living place? My parents place has about 60 in AL and 20 in MC. The ED of the place left in February (to go open a new center being built by a former employer). I like the new ED and she pretty quickly replaced or moved along the DON and assistant DON, which I was good with, as I was not a fan of them.
Then the business manager left, the activities director left, the Memory Care director left and one of my favorite nurses left. I believe most of them followed the old ED to her new community. I asked the activities director and she said this is not uncommon in the industry.
I am actually interested to see what “new blood” will do, but I do worry about the loss of all that institutional memory caring for residents. Plus I just am bad with change in general 
I think there is a LOT of turnover at these places. I observed that over just a few months of talking to different facilities in Austin.
@MaineLonghorn I definitely expect turnover in the hands on, lowest paid staff. Even though that would probably have more direct impact on residents daily life, having a revolving door of faces. There has been turnover there but nothing that concerned me.
I was puzzled by the management turnover but I guess it’s to be expected, especially if the head person moves to a new community