In the past, it was very common for people to attend a will reading after someone else passed away. The attendees may include family members or others who believed they would be beneficiaries. They would go to the will reading so that an attorney could read them the document and they could find out what they had inherited.
Does this still happen today? Not in most cases. Readings were generally just because the majority of the population was illiterate, so families needed to gather together and have someone who could actually read the estate plan do so for them. Today, the average person can easily just read the plan on their own. Instead of going to a will reading, they will receive a copy of the estate plan telling them what they are going to get as an inheritance.
Who distributes the documents?
This is one of the main duties of the estate executor. They have to administer the estate, which means reading the estate plan first and then following the instructions. They are given the initial copy after the other person passes away, and they can then send copies on to the named beneficiaries.
In some cases, there may be disputes involving the estate plan. For instance, beneficiaries may think that the estate executor altered the will or didn’t actually distribute assets in accordance with the document. Maybe they think mistakes were made or that the estate plan did not reflect the elderly person’s true intentions.
These conflicts may become evident when beneficiaries first read the estate plan, but they can take months to resolve. Those involved must be aware of their legal options.