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The Executor’s Step-by-Step Checklist
Read guide: The Executor’s Step-by-Step ChecklistBeing named as an executor can feel like a final expression of trust. Then the person dies, and the title becomes a job. There may…
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Family Trust or Will: Which Does What?
Read guide: Family Trust or Will: Which Does What?A family may spend years carefully maintaining a trust and still discover that a missing or outdated will creates serious problems after someone dies. The…
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Will Mistakes That Can Cost Your Family
Read guide: Will Mistakes That Can Cost Your FamilyMost will mistakes do not begin with carelessness. They begin with good intentions. A parent writes down which child should receive the house. A couple…
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Can a Beneficiary Witness a Will in New Zealand?
Read guide: Can a Beneficiary Witness a Will in New Zealand?The will is finished, the wording has been checked, and only the signatures remain. Two witnesses are needed, but it is late in the afternoon.…
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When There Is No Will: Who Gets What in NZ?
Read guide: When There Is No Will: Who Gets What in NZ?A family can know almost everything about a person and still have no idea what that person wanted after death. They may know how their…
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Executor Duties in NZ: The Work Behind the Will
Read guide: Executor Duties in NZ: The Work Behind the WillBeing named as an executor can feel like an honour. Someone trusted you enough to place their final affairs in your hands. They believed you…
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Probate in NZ: From Will to Final Distribution
Read guide: Probate in NZ: From Will to Final DistributionThe word “probate” often enters a family’s vocabulary at the worst possible time. Someone has died. Relatives are grieving. Bills still need to be paid.…
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Opening the Safe Deposit Box After Death
Read guide: Opening the Safe Deposit Box After DeathThe executor found the key in a small envelope marked only with a number. Nobody knew what it opened. A few days later, a recurring…
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When the Car Loan Outlives the Owner
Read guide: When the Car Loan Outlives the OwnerThe vehicle looked like one of the estate’s most valuable assets. It was only two years old, appeared well maintained and had an estimated market…
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