Not the OP, but this post inspired me to do some detective work.


Interesting, what you find. Some shells were shuffled. Also, my grandparents had a mortgage of $43.06 (monthly) in 1948.

Get a copy of her will from Probate Court. Simple.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about other states but in MD you can find all will/estate information through the Maryland Register of Wills Office

http://registers.maryland.gov/main/search.html

Wow! I just used that link out if curiosity and see that my dad had a will. My mom had said he didn't. If I request copies, will she know? She was the executor...

It sounds like she wants to be in control.

This may be out of malice/greed/fear. She may just feel that she is telling you the truth b/c the estate goes to her. "They" have a will.
Not making excuses, but you can ask a lawyer to help you get a copy and just say it is for estate planning/financial planning on your part.

I had to call my brother to get info and said I was trying to come up with a list of questions to ask a financial planner so I could choose a strategy that was aggressive enough for my old age.
(True, but I got lied to anyway...maybe you'll have better luck)

Get a lawyer to advise you.

Don't wills have to be registered somewhere? If you are in Montgomery County you can go to Rockville and look up the will.

I would try to go the legal route - find a public reference to the will and who the executor is and then work with the executor, who may or may not be your mother.

Also be prepared for the possibility though that you grandma didn't fully update her will as she said she had. My father has said he wants to leave specific accounts to grandchildren (apart from the the accounts for his children) all his life but now that he's actually written his will, that's not how it's structured at all. He sent me a copy, since I would be one of the executors, and all I felt I could say was - does this fully reflect your intentions? If so, I will execute it as it is written.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about other states but in MD you can find all will/estate information through the Maryland Register of Wills Office

http://registers.maryland.gov/main/search.html

Wow! I just used that link out if curiosity and see that my dad had a will. My mom had said he didn't. If I request copies, will she know? She was the executor...

What is up with your mom?! How awful to deny her own children information about their father's will.

I would be surprised if there wasn't a way to force the executor to make the will available to a potentially interested party. You may need the court's assistance but how else would you guard against abuse?

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure about other states but in MD you can find all will/estate information through the Maryland Register of Wills Office

http://registers.maryland.gov/main/search.html

Wow! I just used that link out if curiosity and see that my dad had a will. My mom had said he didn't. If I request copies, will she know? She was the executor...

OP, great question. I have a sibling that funneled everything to herself after one parent died. There is a trust, so it can not be as easily disputed (that I know of). I know for a fact that the dead parent would have wanted things to be distributed evenly, but the remaining parent has an imagined score to settle, unfortunately. GL.

I'm sorry you don't have a good relationship with your mother. I bet that makes a lot of things more difficult, the least of which is your potential inheritance.

FWIW, my grandfather died three years ago and his estate still has not been settled. My understanding is that the executor and the attorney had to get some things approved by the IRS / the courts, although I'm not sure what. So there is some possibility that you have an inheritance, but it just hasn't made it to you yet.

You could try asking your mom. "Hey, Grandma used to say cryptically that she wishes she could see my reaction when I received my inheritance from her. Any idea what she meant by that?" Asking would at least open up the communication. You would have to judge whether or not her answer is truthful or if she is hiding something.

I'm sure if you put Google to work you can learn how to investigate whether or not her estate went through probate or was otherwise made public knowledge.

Estates are supposed to be advertised in local papers. Have you googled?

I'm not sure about other states but in MD you can find all will/estate information through the Maryland Register of Wills Office

http://registers.maryland.gov/main/search.html