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peon2 t1_iu601tw wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in A Chicago Man Quietly Left Behind $11 Million — The Largest Unclaimed Estate In American History by pinktacobuffet

Man I'd cry tears of joy if I got a $60,000 check in the mail.

Well actually I'd probably assume it's a scam and throw it out, but ya know.

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[deleted] t1_iu60v31 wrote

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peon2 t1_iu60ynq wrote

Damn that's cool. If you don't mind my asking how much was it?

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[deleted] t1_iu61hkw wrote

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fleurgirl123 t1_iu6tsgv wrote

How wealthy was he? I didn’t think there would be taxes on it unless it was above $5 million.

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random-idiom t1_iu7d3om wrote

That's only if you leave a will and follow the rules - if you die and don't have a will a very large chunk of your estate goes poof, and then there are fees for whoever is appointed by the court to track down 'heirs' - which can include PI fees searching for people.

You do avoid the worst if you die and have a spouse - as they get everything by assumption if they are alive - but kids don't without a will the court has to do it's thing.

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fuddykrueger t1_iu8j8lk wrote

In some states dying intestate (without a will) causes your estate to be split 50/50 with 50% going to spouse and the other 50% going to the kids (split evenly). There are different rules in each state.

For instance in Illinois, spouse gets half and kids get half (copied and pasted):

Illinois

If you have a spouse but no children, the spouse inherits everything. If you have children but no spouse, the children inherit everything. If you have a spouse and children, the spouse and the children receive half of your property each. If you have parents but no spouse, children, or siblings, your parents inherit everything. If you have siblings but no spouse, children, or parents, the siblings inherit everything. If you have parents and siblings, but no spouse or children, your property is evenly divided among each parent and each sibling. (However, if you have only one parent alive, that parent receives a double share.)

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Boozeled t1_iu6gma4 wrote

I'm so disappointed that I can't remember the name but there is a very interesting podcast episode that walks through the process of someone dying without next of kin or a will. It can be such a lengthy process. I've joked about having a secret rich relative but it's interesting to learn that it actually does happen.

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[deleted] t1_iu6oa9j wrote

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Boozeled t1_iu6pqhb wrote

What a blessing for your family! I'm still trying to find the episode because it's something people don't often contemplate- how tedious that work must be.

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TSL4me t1_iu6no4j wrote

Weird shit happens in retirement home relationships too. Its not unheard of for an old couple to run off and get married and die soon after, some times it's poly and LGBT relationships too. It really throws the family and estate people an unexpected curveball. Good on the old peeps for having fun though.

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Junior_Builder_4340 t1_iu7dftk wrote

Is it "Stuff You Need to Know"?

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ChairmanLaParka t1_iu62tbe wrote

Never hurts to check on the validity of money sent to you.

Back in the pre-internet days, I had a check for $250,000 sent to me. I almost threw it away. But decided to take it to a local lawyer to verify authenticity. He did some research, found it to be legit, and told me it was safe to deposit.

Turns out a company I worked briefly for (I mean, literally maybe 6 weeks), went out of business and was paying out their remaining cash to recent employees as long as they'd been employed within the last year. I didn't recognize the sender on the envelope because it was the corporation's name, not that businesses'. What makes it even better is that I wasn't fired. I'd quit. Because I asked for time off when I was hired for 6 weeks out for a concert I wanted to go to (Metallica), and they initially approved it, but denied it when the day came. I came in to work, told them I was leaving at 6 so they needed to get someone there. No one came. So I locked it up, took the key to the shop next door (friend of the owner), and quit on the spot.

Best quarter mil I've ever earned in one day. Also the only. But the best!

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LowDownSkankyDude t1_iu636a4 wrote

Fuck. Yes.

Like I don't even care if it's true or not, cause that's such a fucking awesome story. LoL

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Prestigious-Maddogg t1_iu61wek wrote

You would get letters,you would have to sign beforehand from a probate lawyer. Source:I had some guy in my family I never met and he had no kids/no will

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taez555 t1_iu61qs7 wrote

"Hey my main man, you get big money, some of 60.000,00$$!!! You just wire us 3.000 thousand us america dollar to pay taxes and we send you big money some."

/s

But seriously, don't do that.

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weedful_things t1_iu6tseo wrote

I discovered I had an unclaimed rebate check a few months ago. While searching, I noticed someone with the last name as I had several accounts totaling several hundred dollars. I found this person on Facebook and sent a message to them. I never got a reply and I am sure they thought it was some kind of scam. I tried though.

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