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Case Study – Uncovering Estate Assets Valued at $300,000.00
A lady passed away. Her niece was the executor. The estate was large. Included in the assets were stock certificates from 40 different companies. They had been purchased decades earlier. The brokerage firm insisted they had accounted for the complete inventory of shares. Our firm launched an asset investigation. We suspected that several stock splits had taken place since these estate stock assets were purchased.
Gary St Pierre recommended the estate investigation. The firm investigated the history of all 40 company stocks and traced the dates of all estate stock splits over a period of several decades. The investigation revealed that 20 of the stocks had stock splits where the certificates of ownership had not been issued. As a result, the estate was able to obtain the needed certificates through the transfer agent. This investigation revealed additional assets totaling over $300,000.00.
Other Circumstances
In other cases, assets have been discovered in missing bank accounts. Sometimes a bank can have an incorrect or wrong Social Security number. These important discoveries reveal hidden estate assets and put them in the hands of the rightful owner.
Appraisers often find hidden estate assets when artwork, antiques or collectibles are discovered. Sometimes they are of much higher quality and value than the heirs believed. In other situations, fine jewelry is discovered among the costume jewelry. Different families value and organize things for different reasons. Every family is unique.
Summary
There are many circumstances that can lead to the discovery of significant hidden estate assets. Discoveries like this more than pay for the cost of the investigation, not only in monetary terms, but also in the rediscovery of a precious keepsake that provides the heirs with a cherished reminder of a lost loved one.
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