Im simply stunned: The executor of my mothers will said I received enough money and gave $16,000 of my inheritance to...

Dear Quentin,

I was mentioned in the will of my mother and her long-time partner. They both passed away recently. I received the funds from my mothers sale of her home, but the executor refuses to provide me with the funds from her long-term partners share, worth about $16,000.

The executor said that I have received enough funds and told me she sent my mothers partners funds to a cancer center. Im sure that a lot of people are jilted out of inheritance by shady executors. Im simply stunned.

What can I do? I dont have enough money to hire a lawyer.

Thank you in advance for your advice.

Still in Disbelief

Dear Still,

Its not the executors job to don a pair of green tights and play the role of Robinhood. They can save those antics for the local amateur-dramatic society. In the real world, they must abide by the law. You can look into free legal aid in your state, and report the executor to the probate court. They should be removed as executor, and could face felony charges.

Even if the money did go to a cancer charity and I have serious doubts about that the executor broke the law by giving this money away. It seems more likely that they stole it, but the end result is the same: When someone agrees to be an executor, they agree to act in the best interests of the deceased and the beneficiaries.

Self-will can be a terrible thing. The executor may have felt they could do with $16,000 for a new car, or to fix the roof on their house, or as they claimed a cancer charity would be a more suitable recipient than your good self. The executors opinion about you, your parents, the money, and the gap between rich and poor are all irrelevant.