Search probate guides, practical articles, and estate settlement resources.1148 in-depth guides • 96 blog posts
Massachusetts has no living will statute. The health care proxy under M.G.L. c. 201D is the only advance directive, and it takes two witnesses, not a notary.
Who inherits without a will in Massachusetts: the spouse's share under M.G.L. c. 190B § 2-102, the order of heirs, and why the dollar figures never adjust.
A Massachusetts pet trust under M.G.L. c. 203E, Section 408: who can enforce it, when a judge may cut the fund, and where unspent money goes.
Massachusetts never adopted the Uniform Power of Attorney Act. A POA here is durable only if it carries the wording in M.G.L. c. 190B, Section 5-501.
Massachusetts probate accounting: the 3-month inventory (MPC 854), the written account to the distributees, and the $75 closing statement filed after 6 months.
How Massachusetts probate works: informal vs formal probate, Probate and Family Court deadlines, the one-year creditor bar, and filing fees.
Massachusetts probate timeline: the 3-month inventory, the 1-year creditor bar from date of death, and the closing statement you cannot file before month six.
Massachusetts probate without a lawyer: the $25,000 voluntary administration path, informal probate, and the 7-day notices that stall pro se filings.
How a Massachusetts revocable living trust works under M.G.L. c. 203E: creation, funding a deed and accounts, the nominee trust, and the pour-over will.
Massachusetts step-up in basis: how IRC Section 1014 resets inherited property to date-of-death value, and how the state's 5 percent gains rate applies.
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