Bill paying question

[dannylion]

Sorry to hear you lost your dad, tractor.  

[tractor]

Thank you for your caring thoughts. Spent today making final arrangements. As heartless as it seems I view the final arrangements as more of a business transaction than an emotional challenge.

I have discovered my dad had 17 open credit cards, most have a balance, none will get paid. He had $800 to his name upon death, over $15k in unsecured liabilities. One small insurance policy that won't cover the cost of his burial, but it will help. Dealing with these creditors will likely be a huge pain in the ass over the next few months. However, he has nothing..no home..no vehicle, just a small collection of tools and misc household stuff. I suppose they can have his towels, or something, if they ask nice (?).

[nittanycheme]

So sorry for the loss of your dad.  I actually asked for credit reports from the agencies for my mom to make sure I got all her credit cards, etc.  Fortunately she didn't owe anything, but having the list was helpful because I could check them off.  I used her home phone to call and cancel all them.  It was a lot easier since the computers recognized her phone number.  Some were totally automated so I didn't need any documentation, some I had to talk to a person and they would give me an address to send in the death certificate.  So many copies of the death certificate......   You'll probably need them for each of the cards if he had a balance.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

Sorry for your loss tractor

[haapai]

You've probably already told us this, but I can't remember.  Did your dad have a will? Are you the executor or co-executor?   Have you been an executor before? 

[tractor]

Oct 14, 2024 14:37:39 GMT -5 haapai said:

You've probably already told us this, but I can't remember.  Did your dad have a will? Are you the executor or co-executor?   Have you been an executor before? 

Dad did not have a will. He has no assets, no home (lived with me), no savings, no retirement accounts, his only income was $1,700/mo SS. He spent every dollar at least 1 1/2 times and had considerable cc debt. His pride and joy truck was leased, so that will go back to the dealer at the end of the week.

There is no executor, but I have control of his last $800. Fortunately, my siblings all agree on our next steps (my brother is an attorney). We will probate his "estate" just to put a final period on his debts.

[schildi]

Sorry to hear about your loss, tractor!

[empress of self-improvement]

Sept 27, 2024 14:58:54 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

My F-i-L was an old Italian. Stashed money in clothes, eyeglass cases, you name it. We used to joke that you had to check his boot before getting rid of it. Found 20s, 50s, even 100s stashed in all kinds of places. Made going through his stuff interesting. Also had passwords written all over the place. Fun times clearing out his condo.

My dad used cash and credit card receipts for bookmarks. The man was a teacher. Cleaning out his books was a major project. Now I know why I use clean tissues and toilet paper!

[tractor]

Dropped dad's truck off yesterday, now the parking spot in front of his place is empty..it's starting to sink in that he's gone. Today would have been his 82nd birthday.

Still have to clean out his space, but I have been picking through it. No more money (of his) to spend. It will be interesting to see how much pressure the credit card companies try to put on us to pay his debts. They are SOL as far as I'm concerned.

[minnesotapaintlady]

Ignore them. Nothing they can do about it...the debt isn't yours.

[busymom]

So sorry tractor.  The first year, especially holidays, etc. are kind of rough after losing a parent.  Just keep doing your best, just like you're doing now.  

[TheOtherMe]

Legally they are SOL.  

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Oct 27, 2024 19:03:01 GMT -5 tractor said:

Dropped dad's truck off yesterday, now the parking spot in front of his place is empty..it's starting to sink in that he's gone. Today would have been his 82nd birthday.

Still have to clean out his space, but I have been picking through it. No more money (of his) to spend. It will be interesting to see how much pressure the credit card companies try to put on us to pay his debts. They are SOL as far as I'm concerned.

They are shit out of luck.  They can make a claim against the estate if he had one but even in probate credit cards are dead last on the list of people who get paid out.  Often times there is nothing left by the time it gets to the credit cards.

It's part of the risk they take when giving out credit.  

They were quite hostile when my grandmother died going so far as to contact first cousins hoping they would intimidate someone into paying.   

[wvugurl26]

I believe you said you were going to file probate but I would definitely do that. Let them make the claim against the estate. The probate office can inform them there's no money and they are SOL.

Best wishes in dealing with all that. It's not easy.

[busymom]

tractor, when my relative in the nursing home died, and I got bills from doctors, etc., from his last stay at the hospital, I told them the state had cleaned out his checking account (they did!) and that they were welcome to contact the state regarding any bills, because the last of his money was gone.  They didn't bother me after that.  So, it's both a blessing and a curse to die broke, but sometimes it's a little easier on family when there are no assets left.  

[tractor]

Cashed out and closed his checking/savings accounts today. We found out in Michigan if you die with less than $50k in assets, and no real property (home/car), you don't have to probate an estate. Just a simple affidavit is all you need. Saves a bunch of time.