How Long Will I Have to Wait to Get an Inheritance After a Death?
By Barry Zimmer on September 12th, 2017 in Probate
A Montgomery probate attorney can provide you with help if you stand to inherit money or property after someone that you love has passed away. You may be counting on an inheritance to help you to maintain your quality of life, especially if the person who passed away was providing you with financial support. You need to make sure that the wishes of the deceased are respected, that the assets you will inherit are kept safe until you can take ownership, and that you inherit in as timely a manner as possible. This means you should contact a lawyer to help you oversee the process that is used to transfer assets from their deceased owner to you. 
Zimmer Law Firm has helped many heirs or beneficiaries to protect their rights and to ensure they receive their full inheritance in a timely manner. Our legal team will explain to you when and how the assets of the deceased will transfer to you and will answer any questions you have about the process of transferring assets.
For example, one of the most common questions that clients ask their Montgomery probate attorney at our firm is how long it will take for them to receive their inheritance.
How Long Will it Take to Receive an Inheritance?
The length of time that it will take heirs or beneficiaries to receive an inheritance depends upon many different factors including:
- How assets will be transferred. If the deceased person (decedent) created a living trust and assets are able to transfer through the trust administration process instead of through the probate process, then you will receive an inheritance much more quickly in most circumstances than if the assets must transfer through the probate process.
- Whether the fiduciary in charge of facilitating the asset transfer does his or her job: When a trust is created, a trust administrator is chosen to oversee the transfer of trust assets. When a last will and testament is created, an executor of an estate is chosen to facilitate the transfer of estate assets (the court also has to officially appoint the executor of an estate). The executor of an estate and the trust administrator are fiduciaries and have an obligation to act appropriately and responsibly while facilitating the trust administration or probate processes. However, sometimes the administrator or executor will take an unnecessarily long time or otherwise fail in their obligations to move forward with the asset transfer process in a timely manner.
- Whether there are problems: One of the key factors determining how quickly you can inherit is whether or not someone decides to contest a will or to contest a trust. If the validity of the last will and testament or the validity of the trust is challenged, it can take a much longer time for the court to determine if the will or trust is actually a valid and enforceable reflection of the wishes of the deceased. As the case is being made both for and against validity of the will or the trust, there is no progress being made on moving assets to new owners.
Zimmer Law Firm can discuss your situation with you, evaluate the process by which you will inherit and help you to get an accurate estimate of when you are likely to receive the money and property that your deceased loved one has left for you. You should reach out to our legal team as soon as you know you will inherit from someone who has passed away so we can advise you on what to expect during the asset transfer process.
Getting Help from A Montgomery Probate Attorney
A Montgomery probate attorney at Zimmer Law Firm will help you to take steps to ensure that you receive your inheritance in as timely a manner as possible. We will work with you to monitor the actions of the trust administrator or of the executor of an estate to ensure that this fiduciary who is in charge of facilitating the transfer of assets is acting in an appropriate manner. We can also help you to respond to problems, like someone contesting a will, and can assist you in taking legal action if something goes wrong that could affect your inheritance.
To find out more about how our legal team can help you to inherit as quickly as possible if a loved one has left you money and property, give us a call at 513.721.1513 today. You can also join us for a free seminar to find out all about the probate services our legal team offers. Call or contact us as soon as possible after someone you love has passed away so we can look out for your legal rights.