[onewhippedpuppy]

I lost my grandfather today, after 80 years and 60 years of marriage to my grandmother. He died in his sleep, which is exactly how he would have wanted to go. He was an inspiration to me in many, many ways and is the person that I credit for who I am today. It's been a very tough day, but now I need some advice.

My grandmother is still with us, but is not in particularly good physical and mental health. Beyond her health struggles she has never even as much as taken care of household expenses, my grandfather took care of everything and gave her an allowance. She is still healthy enough to live alone, and she lives next door to my parents so help isn't far. My grandfather was a very successful self-made businessman, and despite being very private with his finances we expect the estate to be substantial. Involved will be multiple corporations as well as a number of personal accounts and investments, and the kicker is that thus far we haven't found a will.

Family background is my mother (daugher) who is the company office manager of 40+ years, her sister in CO, and her brother in TX. Brother was previously partners with my grandfather in his business with the intent of my grandfather passing it on to him, my grandfather kicked him out of the business when it surfaced that he was stealing from the company. This individual hasn't been shy about his feelings of entitlement, and has done very little with his life. Bottom line, I fully expect him to do all that he can to grab as much as possible from my grandmother.

I've spoken to a lawyer friend and passed along the information to my mother, I'm pushing them to set up a trust for my grandmother, meet with a good probate attorney ASAP, and look into some sort of limited power of attorney that would keep her from signing over large amounts of money or assets. The primary goal is to insure that my grandmother is well taken care of for the remainder of her life by providing for her and protecting her assets. Other trusted 3rd parties in this would be my grandfather's CPA of 40-ish years and his investment broker that is also a good friend. I suggested to my mother that someone like the CPA would make a great impartial manager of the trust and power of attorney to reduce any fighting within the family.

What am I missing, and has anyone dealt with a similar situation?