Q: My stepmother just passed. I'm in Suffolk County, New York. Who do I go to to see all her checking and savings account transactions from 2005 through 2012? --VY via email
A: Don't get your hopes up!
Unlike your stepmother's will, her bank transactions aren't public information.
Her executor -- the person she named to carry out the instructions in her will --has access to all your stepmother's financial records.
If you are one of her heirs or one of her creditors, and you have a legitimate reason for requesting specific information -- e.g., did your stepmother ever reimburse your late husband for those Long Island Power Authority bills he paid on her behalf sometime in 2002 or 2003? -- her executor is the person who can find it for you.
But I doubt that a good executor will let you search through seven years worth of her bank transactions merely to satisfy curiosity about what she did with her money. Would you want your own executor to let your stepchild do that?
Please send your questions to [email protected]. I'm sorry I can't respond personally to every email. Questions are only addressed online.
(c) Lynn Brenner, All Rights Reserved
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