Beneficiary of parent's 401K

[asmith659]

My mother passed away in 2006. She had been on disability with her workplace for a few years prior to her passing. I have recently finished college and since realized that nothing became of her 401K. When I asked the company about it I was told that only a spouse could receive this money; however, my mom had been divorced at the time of death for 20 years, leaving me as her sole beneficiary. They apparently have since changed the company law which would have allowed me to inherit the money, however they said that I still can not inherit it due to the fact that my mother went on disability prior to the law change . Is this accurate? Shouldn't I be able to get at least a percent of the money since the money put into the 401K was deferred from my mother's wage? To complicate matters, I have reason to believe that some family members have not been completely honest with me about her assets. Also, I don't know how to determine whether she had a will. Should I seek legal counsel and would a lawyer take a case like this?

 

[eerelations]

You absolutely do need to get an attorney, and yes, attorneys specializing in inheritance law will certainly take your case as posted.

 

[Beth3]

Your mother's employer is giving you a complete load of baloney, unless your mother actually converted her 401(k) into an annuity. In any event, between that and the family issues you mention, yes, you shold see an attorney. There are many attorneys who practice in the area of estate planning/probate/inheritance law.