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Father died intestate - question?

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rah0004

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Kansas

My father passed away, & did not have a will. He & I had a joint bank account that he used as his primary account. His wishes were for me to split the money in that acount between myself & my sibling. He had no other assets, except for a stock account he owned jointly with his girlfriend. Can I avoid probate here, or is that something I have to do? My plan is to wait until the end of the year, file his taxes, then distribute the money. Would there be any problems with that?
 


Dandy Don

Senior Member
What is the value of the stock? How much is left in the bank account? Since these assets have designated co-owners, they will automatically pass to the designated co-owner and it appears that probate will not be needed. You can ask the bank to issue you a check now (you don't need to wait till the end of the year for that) and the girlfriend can ask the brokerage to re-issue the stock in her own name and unless your father had other assets that would need to be probated, it is not needed. And you can still file the tax return at the appropriate time.
 

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