Next of kin, what next?
Curlylady
Posts: 52 Forumite
Hello. I am looking for guidance on behalf of my nephew. Not sure where to start so I hope you can bear with me.
My brother passed away whilst visiting family abroad. We were not close but he would contact me usually when he was in bother. He and his son had been estranged for about 2 years.
We know very little about his life during these past 2 years, once he inherited his third of my mums estate, he led his life away from the family.
We were informed of his passing from the lady he appointed trustee of his accounts. In the last few days we have all sorts of information thrown at us and don't know what has been going on or which way to turn.
The trustee said she has frozen his accounts and there is nothing left in these, there was no will and now saying she has taken care of informing all concerned.
There is so much more info that she has thrown at us but obviously we don't know what is true. His inheritance was sizeable as I was the executor, which he received in 2017, but she claims he has left nothing. She was helping him claim benefits as he had a stroke in 2015 leaving him disabled, but I am sure with the amount he received this should have impossible.
My brother left his rented accomodation, sold everything, left no paper trail, that we know of, maybe the trustee has it and he left to "visit" family abroad, he passed last sunday and was laid to rest there within 48 hours!
I don't mean provide information overload, but 1st things 1st, main questions for immediate attention is where does my nephew stand. He is next of kin. There is no will.
He went abroad only to miss the funeral by hours, and come next week he won't know where to start.
It's a bit of a mess to say the least, so any constructive advice and guidance would be welcomed because I can't get my head around all of this and I want to help my nephew, guide him and help him get some answers.
Thanks for reading.
My brother passed away whilst visiting family abroad. We were not close but he would contact me usually when he was in bother. He and his son had been estranged for about 2 years.
We know very little about his life during these past 2 years, once he inherited his third of my mums estate, he led his life away from the family.
We were informed of his passing from the lady he appointed trustee of his accounts. In the last few days we have all sorts of information thrown at us and don't know what has been going on or which way to turn.
The trustee said she has frozen his accounts and there is nothing left in these, there was no will and now saying she has taken care of informing all concerned.
There is so much more info that she has thrown at us but obviously we don't know what is true. His inheritance was sizeable as I was the executor, which he received in 2017, but she claims he has left nothing. She was helping him claim benefits as he had a stroke in 2015 leaving him disabled, but I am sure with the amount he received this should have impossible.
My brother left his rented accomodation, sold everything, left no paper trail, that we know of, maybe the trustee has it and he left to "visit" family abroad, he passed last sunday and was laid to rest there within 48 hours!
I don't mean provide information overload, but 1st things 1st, main questions for immediate attention is where does my nephew stand. He is next of kin. There is no will.
He went abroad only to miss the funeral by hours, and come next week he won't know where to start.
It's a bit of a mess to say the least, so any constructive advice and guidance would be welcomed because I can't get my head around all of this and I want to help my nephew, guide him and help him get some answers.
Thanks for reading.
0
Comments
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I am sorry for your loss.
I think the first question is, what does your nephew want to do? neither he nor you are obliged to do anything. And if your brother realised all his assets and moved abroad, is there anything left to do anything about? And if brother and nephew were estranged, does your nephew want to do anything?Signature removed for peace of mind0 -
Thanks Savvy_Sue. I believe my nephew just wants to get answers, and no one is answering. Estranged or not, it was still his dad and it was down to his dad things fell apart, but anyway these are details. I guess we are unsure as I am failing to understand how a Trustee can take careof closing accounts etc...she now claims there is a couple of thousand left in one account, which my brother wanted left to his grandchildren. However a funeral took place which needs paying for. There are tidbits leaking through. I didn't think a trustee is the same as a next of kin or an executor??0
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The complication is that your brother died abroad, where they may do things differently - probably do.
In the UK, whoever organises the funeral is responsible for paying for it.Signature removed for peace of mind0 -
Which country was he living in when he died? Might be that someone on this board is familiar with the 'trustee of accounts' arrangement, which would be unusual (although not wholly unheard of) in the UK.Googling on your question might have been both quicker and easier, if you're only after simple facts rather than opinions!0
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