Ethics question

[splatter]

Say you were one of 2 recipients (which are siblings) of an inheritance and you are the executor. Neither of you are gonna be rich but its a good chunk of money. Since there are only 2 of you there was nothing major involved except paying the funeral home and the hospital bills. The will doesn't state anything about the executor being paid but the state says you can take a percentage off the top which turns out to be a sizeable amount. Would you take it? Keep in mind what you take is coming directly out of your siblings pocket and you are already getting 1/2 of what is there .

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

This is just me...but if the deceased didn't mention this, I would deduct all costs or liens if any, and split after that.

 

[napalmdeath]

50/50. It's not an ethical issue, it's a moral issue. If it's enough to keep you up at night, then you obviously already know what the RIGHT thing to do is.

 

[Emg77]

Well, all costs associated with closing out the business side of the death should be deducted from the total and then what ever is remaining should be split 50/50 as mentioned. ( is the ethical/moral "right" thing to do.) if it was me. There is a cost associated with karmic debt.

 

[CornNutz]

If the executor was a third party, I'd say it's fair to take your share, although I personally probably still would not.

But since the executor is also beneficiary, I would not take the extra percentage.

But I think if it was really burdensome to be the executor, I might reconsider.

 

[glpg80]

This is just me...but if the deceased didn't mention this, I would deduct all costs or liens if any, and split after that.

+1

It was theirs, to begin with. Square the house of the deceased's debts and burial costs leaving the remainder to be split accordingly.

 

[Fret-Shredder]

I would advise the executor to just do a 50/50 split. If not , deep down there may be some resentment from your sibling. I think down the road you will feel better about it. Especially if they are a part of your life.

 

[napalmdeath]

I would advise the executor to just do a 50/50 split. If not , deep down there may be some resentment from your sibling. I think down the road you will feel better about it. Especially if they are a part of your life.

Amen. Screwing a family member because you're getting greedy, wouldn't sit well with me. Executor or not, pay the bills, and split what's left, 50/50. Like I said, if you have to ask, then you already know taking that chunk off the top is questionable behavior.

 

[jabps]

I've seen first hand how siblings can fall out over money. IMO though, not worth it regardless of the position one is put in. Pay the outstanding bills and then 50/50 split.

 

[skullfxr]

I agree with all of the others.

Just to add something...

I sleep very well every night knowing that in a day I did not wrong or harm anyone with my actions. I like peaceful remorse free sleep,and I always get it.

Think about that.

Then think about if the sibling was the executor and how you would feel if they did what you are considering to you.

Money is nice, peace is much more valuable. To me anyways.

It's up to you.

 

[SpiderWars]

In general no I wouldn't take anything extra. I would think the executor-sibling would know this...did the person that made you executor expect you to take it?

 

[stratjacket]

Man, don’t give them shit. Just joking
I agree with everyone and having been through that, it’s exactly what we did. My brother, my sister and I deducted the expenses and then split 3 ways. It wasn’t much, turned into about $2k for each of us. I bought a guitar to remember that I will never sell.

 

[crwnedblasphemy]

I'm gonna give a story that happened to one of my friends just 2 years ago...he lived with his father who had parkinson's disease(the house was childhood house Mother/Father/2 sons/1 daughter). Mother passed about 20 years ago of cancer. youngest son was living with his dad taking care of things for 8-10years. Other older brother and daughter were married and different parts of the country. So...his dad passed 2 years ago, and of course the will was to split between the kids evenly...well, the older two instantly asked for their share of the house, cuz the youngest was living there. He did get the appraisal and paid them the 2/3rds.

I don't think there was any compensation to him for staying with the father. I think thats a little uneven unless you discuss that prior to all this happening, in which I don't think happened. I guess what I am getting at is there are certain circumstances....

 

[Devin]

 

[trey85stang]

just because the law is on your side does not mean it is the route you should take. Id go with the 50/50 split even if you already dont get along with the other person. In other words dont be the ass, even if you are

 

[skullfxr]

To another aspect, is that what the deceased person would want you to do?

 

[Racerxrated]

This is something I dealt with 6 yrs ago, after our parents passed. I have 2 younger brothers, the middle one being the executor. After all expenses were paid, and the house was sold we decided our brother deserved a couple extra thousand for the effort. He declined, and we split everything 3 ways. I do think it is worth something extra for all that work...there are quite a few hrs put in to everything he had to do. But he didn't look at it as a job. YMMV.

 

[lll]

Say you were one of 2 recipients (which are siblings) of an inheritance and you are the executor. Neither of you are gonna be rich but its a good chunk of money. Since there are only 2 of you there was nothing major involved except paying the funeral home and the hospital bills. The will doesn't state anything about the executor being paid but the state says you can take a percentage off the top which turns out to be a sizeable amount. Would you take it? Keep in mind what you take is coming directly out of your siblings pocket and you are already getting 1/2 of what is there .

Why wouldn't you want to get reasonable compensation for work you've put in (as the executor/executrix)?

Only a moron would turn that down; especially considering the typical estate sizes nowadays.

Also keep in mind: time is money, too.

 

[romanianreaper]

I'm a 50/50 person with things in life. I just don't have time to deal with the after effects or drama in any situation. Peace of mind is worth every penny in my opinion. It means you never have to look back and fear an issue will come up down the road. Makes everything easy.

 

[glpg80]

Say you were one of 2 recipients (which are siblings) of an inheritance and you are the executor. Neither of you are gonna be rich but its a good chunk of money. Since there are only 2 of you there was nothing major involved except paying the funeral home and the hospital bills. The will doesn't state anything about the executor being paid but the state says you can take a percentage off the top which turns out to be a sizeable amount. Would you take it? Keep in mind what you take is coming directly out of your siblings pocket and you are already getting 1/2 of what is there .

Why wouldn't you want to get reasonable compensation for work you've put in (as the executor/executrix)?

Only a moron would turn that down; especially considering the typical estate sizes nowadays.

Also keep in mind: time is money, too.

Not all things deserve payment for your time. You'd be amazed how far you can go in life doing your part and letting others get credit. It's called leadership.