Don’t Fear Probate!

By: Marc S. Galella, Esq. of R.C. Shea & Associates

One of the most common statements I hear when I am discussing estate planning with my clients is: “How do I avoid probate?” or its alternative: “I want to avoid probate.” My answer to such comments is: “Why do you fear probate?” In most cases the response I receive is (1) “I hear probate is very expensive and can wipe out my estate;” (2) “I hear that probate can take a long time and tie up my estate for years”; or (3) “If my Will is filed for probate, anyone can see what it says.”

The reality is that none of these reasons to avoid probate applies to New Jersey. The probate process in New Jersey, and in Ocean County specifically, is simple, inexpensive and usually takes less than 15 minutes. In fact, it usually takes me longer to explain the probate process than it actually takes to do. In fact, many of the “horror stories” people hear about the probate process almost always occur in other states where the probate process can be both time consuming and expensive. In New Jersey to probate a Will, you will need the original Will, an original death certificate, the names and addresses of the beneficiaries named in the Will (and any other heirs not named in the Will) and the Social Security Number of the person named in the Will as the executor. With these documents in hand, the executor named in the Will must go to the Surrogate office in the county in which the decedent was a resident at the time of death. In most cases it is unnecessary to make an appointment. After signing in with the receptionist, the executor will be called to meet with one of the probate clerks. The clerk will take the documents and then prepare the probate documents. In general, the executor will have to sign three different documents in the presence of the probate clerk. Thereafter, the Surrogate office will send the executor what are called Letters Testamentary which then allow the executor to act in place of the decedent to marshal the estate assets, satisfy the estate debts and then to distribute the estate assets as directed by the Will. The fee for probate is based on the number pages in the Will. For example, a four-page Will costs $115.00 to probate, hardly an expense that will wipe out an estate.

Although the Will becomes a public record after it is filed for probate, in my opinion this is of little concern. While it may be a concern for famous people, most of the people reading this article are not so famous that anyone would make a trip to the Surrogate office to read their Wills. The probate process in New Jersey is not a difficult or expensive process and no one should fear the probate process.

Sports Staff Needed For Ocean County Parks

OCEAN COUNTY – Are you looking for a fun summer Job? Do you like being outside and being active? The Ocean County Parks & Recreation Department has the perfect job for you! We are looking for friendly, motivated, sports-minded individuals to help instruct our sports programs to both children and adults throughout our Ocean

County Parks System. This is a great opportunity for anyone who enjoys working with the public and might be looking for some experience teaching or coaching.

Competitive salary, starting at $17.50 an hour. If you are interested or have any questions, contact Victoria at 732-506-9090 ext. 5951 or email vwagner@co.ocean.nj.us.

AAUW Northern Ocean County Meeting

OCEAN COUNTY – American Association of University Women (AAUW Northern Ocean County Branch) is having a Zoom meeting on February 13. After a short business meeting from 6 to 7 p.m., at 7 p.m. the Summit College Club Branch will present our speaker, Edwina Sessons, on What Inclusion Really Means. Ms. Sessons is the AAUW NJ Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI). For the Zoom Link, contact Program Director Beth Maher at bethmahe@gmail.com.

EDUCATORS! Have a special event planned for your class? Let everyone know by placing a news release in this paper! Call 732-657-7344 to find out how!

Bathrooms:

Continued From Page 1 be a schedule for open bathrooms. When a teacher is out, there is a teacher who is supposed to have a key to open the bathroom but substitute teachers apparently have no idea what is going on as to who is to open the bathroom. Maybe it is a communication issue.”

Friedman added, “the other concern is that some bathrooms have feminine hygiene products and if the bathrooms aren’t open, they are being denied that.”

She also noted that with locked bathrooms “if something should happen like in other areas with shootings that are all over the news… children might have been saved if the bathrooms were unlocked.

“I don’t understand why the bathrooms are locked? I don’t know if it is a vaping issue or a destruction issue or the kids are cutting class. I don’t understand what is happening but why are we not punishing students who need to be punished and not punishing the good stu- dents,” she added. “I know this is a national trend and that Jackson isn’t the only one facing this and are locking the bathroom.”

Superintendent Nicole Pormilli responded concerning the bathroom situation saying, “we do have some challenges in our bathrooms at the high schools and our administrators and teachers are working hard to monitor those things. We have students who are making poor choices.”

“Sometimes we don’t have the coverage to monitor all of that. We continue to teach and educate our students to please not destroy it and we continue to work on it,” she added. As vaping becomes more popular in schools across America, news publications report that students often go to the bathroom to do it. To keep from getting caught, they will sometimes flush materials down the toilet. For example, the Nantucket Current published an article on January 6 that the local school district recovered “hundreds” of vape pens from damaged plumbing over the last year.

-Chris Lundy contributed to this story.