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Law of Wills, 2016A

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3. After suffering a stroke, Harriet had a difficult time handling her affairs. On March 11, 2011,<br />

Harriet put her grandson, Anthony’s name on her checking account at Local Bank, so that he could<br />

pay her bills. The account was funded with Harriet’s Social Security checks. On November 15, 2014,<br />

Harriet executed a will stating, “I leave my house to my grandson, Anthony. The rest <strong>of</strong> my estate is<br />

to be divided between my two children, Lisa and Kim.” Local Bank only had joint tenancy accounts<br />

available. On May 5, 2016, Harriet died. At the time <strong>of</strong> her death, Harriet had $71,000 in her Local<br />

Bank checking account. Who gets the $71,000?<br />

16.5 Concurrently Owned Real Property<br />

Persons can avoid probate by owning real property as joint tenants or tenants by the entirety.<br />

Under a joint tenancy arrangement, each owner has the right to possess the entire property. When<br />

one <strong>of</strong> the owners dies, the surviving owner becomes the sole owner <strong>of</strong> the property. The decedent’s<br />

interest in the property disappears at death, so no probate is necessary because no interest passes to<br />

the survivor at death. A tenancy by the entirety is a joint tenancy arrangement that can only be<br />

entered into by persons in a marriage. A person who enters a joint tenancy arrangement cannot,<br />

during his or her lifetime, revoke the transfer and cancel the interest he or she gives to the other<br />

joint tenant. A joint tenant cannot devise his or her interest in the property by will. If a joint tenant<br />

wants someone other than the other joint tenant to receive his or her share at death, he or she must<br />

sever the joint tenancy during life. In order to sever a joint tenancy, the person must convert it to a<br />

tenancy in common. Consider the following example, A and B purchased a house as joint tenants. A<br />

would like to leave her interest in the property to C. In order to sever the joint tenancy, A transfers<br />

her interest in the property to D and has D transfer the property back to her. When D transfers the<br />

property back to A, A and B become tenants in common and A can leave the property to D in her<br />

will.<br />

16.6 Inter Vivos Trusts<br />

Unlike an outright bequest, a trust is a device that is used to hold property for the benefit <strong>of</strong><br />

the settlor and/or a third party. When the settlor dies, the beneficiary still does not receive the<br />

property outright. The trust property is distributed according to the terms <strong>of</strong> the trust. The settlor is<br />

the person who establishes the trust. The person who is intended to benefit from the trust is<br />

referred to as the beneficiary <strong>of</strong> the trust. The trustee administers the trust. The settlor may serve as<br />

the trustee. If the settlor does not serve as the trustee, a trustee may be appointed by the trust<br />

instrument or by the court.<br />

Trusts may be testamentary or inter vivos. An inter vivos trust is a trust established during<br />

the settlor’s lifetime. A testamentary trust is one that is created as a part <strong>of</strong> a will. The testamentary<br />

trust is not a will substitute because it is administered by the probate court. The testamentary trust is<br />

discussed in this author’s book on The <strong>Law</strong> <strong>of</strong> Trusts. An inter vivos trust may be created by a<br />

declaration <strong>of</strong> trust or a deed <strong>of</strong> trust. An inter vivos trust is created using a declaration <strong>of</strong> trust<br />

when the settlor declares that he or she holds certain property in trust. In this type <strong>of</strong> situation, the<br />

settlor is <strong>of</strong>ten one <strong>of</strong> the beneficiaries <strong>of</strong> the trust. For example, the settlor may create a trust by<br />

declaring, “I hold my farm in trust for the benefit <strong>of</strong> myself for life with the remainder to be held in<br />

trust for my son.” When an inter vivos trust is established using a deed <strong>of</strong> trust, the settlor transfers<br />

the property to another person as trustee. For instance, the settlor states, “I leave my estate in trust<br />

to John for the benefit <strong>of</strong> myself for life with the remainder to be held in trust for my son.”<br />

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