Usually the will is filed for probate by the person nominated as Executor. If that has not happened, the Probate Code allows “any interested person” to initiate the probate proceedings. An “interested person” includes heirs, devisees, spouses, creditors, or any others having a property right in, or claim against, the estate being administered. Hence, any creditor, secured or unsecured, has standing to initiate a probate. ===== A BRIEF is a short answer to a legal question #Br

Question: In one of your recent columns you said that we can give/receive a gift of up to $5 million without paying taxes. I thought the gift allowance amount was $13,000 a year. What is the difference? – GF Answer: There are two separate and distinct gift tax breaks. The “annual exclusion” is $14,000 (in 2014). Gifts in one calendar year to an individual which total at or below that amount do not need to be reported to the IRS by the giver or by the receiver. The “lifetime e