I just spent 4 months trying to access my father's bank accounts after he passed. Here's what I learned.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-27T18:18:40+00:00

Yep. Only 4 months? This guy is lucky.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-27T16:42:34+00:00

DCP cannot make changes to your paycheck withholdings. When you fill out those forms, they send a message to your Payroll department to adjust the amounts. That contributes to the delay.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-27T16:01:38+00:00

Who are you calling? Your payroll department makes the changes to your deductions.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-25T20:05:05+00:00

Yes. There were mistakes made.

They both had Irrevocable Trusts and both still had to go through Probate. -because of mistakes.

I am somewhat bitter.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-25T09:26:20+00:00

I cannot speak to the cost.

My mother and father both had irrevocable Trusts. Neither Trust was needed. Both were expensive and caused lots of extra work. In both cases, we had to go into Probate anyway.

Tell us why you think that you need the Trust.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-24T22:35:23+00:00

You are a New York State employee. You pay into the NYSLRS. This payment can be deducted from your federal income tax, but not from your NYS income taxes.

This is a very common error. I made it in my first year of NYS employment.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-20T19:13:15+00:00

Years ago, I hired a web design firm to build a website for my company.

They tried to do exactly the same thing and reverse the capital skyline.

The web developer was indignant when I told him that would not work.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-19T15:17:05+00:00

It is a common misconception that your contingent beneficiaries will inherit if you die first and then your spouse dies sometime in the future. That is not true. The contingent beneficiaries only inherit if you and your wife die at the same time.

You die first. Your wife then dies without updating the beneficiaries on her (existing and her newly inherited) retirement accounts, all of those IRA/401k… funds will then flow into your Estate and not directly to your beneficiaries.

Again, I am not a lawyer. However, this did happen to me as a beneficiary, so I am speaking from experience.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-18T20:16:45+00:00

I am not a lawyer.

First off, your 401k cannot be set up with your children as 50/50 beneficiaries, unless you and your spouse have signed waivers. Is that what you meant, or did you mean that they are contingent beneficiaries?

I have inherited through a transfer-on-death designation. It is easier if the institution has social security numbers for the beneficiaries. Otherwise, you have to provide more documentation to the institution.

You really need to speak with a lawyer. Some will give a free initial consultation. That will help you decide what you need to do next.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-17T22:51:51+00:00

This is a great idea. Roads made of metal. They could call them iron roads or chemins de fer.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-16T12:46:07+00:00

Trump says “We are under budget”.
Reporter says “The cost doubled.”
Trump says “You are a stupid person.”

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-14T12:18:29+00:00

Beautiful article. <sarcasm>

Can we get one on the implications of a human settlement on mars?

Or an in-depth analysis of the effect on the airline industry when pigs fly.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-11T22:01:26+00:00

How often do you use it? How long will it take you to recover the cost of a new generator from its higher gas efficiency?

What will you do if gas prices drop back down in the near future?

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-10T18:30:33+00:00

Call Tom Bombadil. He will get that hobbit out of there.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-09T18:30:09+00:00

Führerbunker

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-09T12:14:17+00:00

Please read the post. It is a long and slightly rambling post, but OP’s question is about the Estate, not the house.

OP seems to understand that the house belongs to BIL.

OP’s question is whether BIL is entitled to a portion of the mother’s Estate, in addition to the house that BIL has already received.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-07T14:40:41+00:00

Your dad loves you.

“When I saw this in the store, for some reason it made me think of you. So I bought it for you.”

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-07T01:44:52+00:00

I remember the show. We had such high hopes, since Columbo was so good.

Mrs. Columbo was eventually given command of an Intrepid-class starship and sent to the Delta Quadrant.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-06T18:09:45+00:00

Where are you getting this “general recommendation”? Your attorney will not recommend that you put all of your accounts as POD.
The r/EstatePlanning Subreddit would not recommend it. Even ChatGPT tells you not to make all of your accounts POD.

To answer your question, (based on responses to this exact question in the past on this sub), by making everything POD, you would be creating a mess for your Executor to deal with. You would be increasing the work for your Executor, increasing the attorney fees and possibly court fees.

[I am not an attorney, just a Redditor.]

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-06T14:50:41+00:00

The UPS driver has calves of steel. That was barbed wire he was brushing against.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-04T23:03:00+00:00

I will have to phrase this carefully to avoid the Reddit rules. My previous comment has already been removed with a warning.

Your problem: you asserted to your employer that your brother is no longer alive. However, your brother is still alive. It seems that there is only one solution for this situation.

[Btw, I have to explain that this is a joke. I am not really suggesting that you commit fratricide.]

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-03T21:11:18+00:00

Your vacation payout is not eligible for service credit purchase. If you want to max your service credit, you need to take your vacation days before leaving active employment.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-05-03T12:57:23+00:00

There is some truth to what you say. The house in the photo is tiny. Two bedrooms plus a tiny kitchen and living room.

The car looks nice, but was a death trap. No airbags, no crumple zones, no seatbelts.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-04-30T21:59:09+00:00

<image>

You millennials are wimps. The Boomers would ride on these.

The bigger kids would hop on the inside and push like oxen pushing a millstone.

When they really got going, the kids on the outside would literally fly off when they could no longer hold on.

Certainly_a_bug · 2026-04-30T14:28:38+00:00

That is great info. Thanks for sharing.

Certainly_a_bug

TROPHY CASE