LETTER: Nevada probate reform a step forward

Senate Bill 404 becoming law is certainly a step in the right direction (Thursday Review-Journal). For years outsiders were able to cash in dead people’s homes, not making a dime for the heirs. Unfortunately, these independent administrators were able to sell homes to their inside circle who would flip the houses for a higher price. Now there are new steps in the process to limit just who can have the authority to sell homes though probate court.

I hope that soon the Legislature also takes a careful look at guardianship. Statistics show that approximately 1.5 million adult Americans are under active guardianship. As long ago as 1987, Rep. Claude Pepper, a member of the House Select Committee on Aging, said that Congress had known since 1977 that the country’s guardianship structure was in need of intervention.

The takeaway is that for decades the same guardianship system has been alive and well. Billions of dollars of assets are under the control of guardians. Vulnerable people who have worked hard and saved their money, intending their families to have an inheritance, have had their assets diverted into the pockets of guardians and other players. We should not be surprised that the system, which is legally sanctioned, attracts predators who can charge heavy fees and “fire sale” off real estate and heirlooms.

It is imperative that our states and federal government, which purport to “protect” the vulnerable by guardianship, take a deep dive into what is going on.