If you are looking for a professional genealogist to conduct an heir search on behalf of your family, what do you need to know? The field of genealogy—particularly in relation to how to conduct an heir search—is one that few people are well versed in. It is likely to be an entirely unfamiliar industry until an urgent need arises; a reality that leaves many private individuals vulnerable to low-caliber services at runaway prices.
With all of that in mind, today we’re going to look at what you need to know when looking to contract a genealogy expert so that you can get the timely and cost effective results you need and rightfully obtain your family’s legal assets. Read on to find the clarity you need to know how to conduct an heir search with confidence.
Why and When are Heir Search Services Required?
What kind of circumstances might lead someone to seek out a genealogist and associated heir search services? This type of professional is poised to navigate issues such as heir search, estate settlement, and probate research. They will conduct this service on behalf of private clients, trustees, and attorneys with fiduciary responsibility. An heir search is commonly required when someone dies without a will, although in certain States, there is an obligation to identify all known heirs and their respective rights to inheritance before an estate can be settled.
To untangle potentially complex webs of lineage, a genealogist will trace the family tree in question and thoroughly document their findings. Completing this task requires not only specialist investigatory abilities but also a distinct note of the detective’s skillset. Why?
Because in a world that sees families dispersed not only between states but also between nations, capacity to traverse borders, navigate diverse legislation, and even conduct in-person investigations can be immensely useful. In any heir search, efficiency is the central tenant, but supporting is the resources to expand the search as required to ensure that the matter can be closed and heirs can find peace of mind. When knowing how to conduct an heir search and who to turn to, the right credentials are an excellent place to start.
How to Conduct an Heir Search: What To Look For In a Genealogist
In recent years, the field of genealogy has seen an influx of professionals adhering to less-than-desirable standards. This makes it critical than families carefully vet an heir search service before agreeing to proceed. There are two factors framing why this counts—beyond the genealogist’s capacity to find the necessary information or individuals.
The first is that their findings will need to meet the standard required to present successfully in court. The genealogist will need to sign an affidavit, delivered with full supporting documentation, and may need to testify on your family’s behalf. This makes the associated expertize and experience an essential prerequisite.
It is also key to ensure that the company you hire is fully certified and transparent about their pricing and practices. You are under no obligation to accept the services of an heir hunter who approaches you cold without confirming their credentials—even if they have already begun the search process. Instead, you can take your time to ensure that the genealogy service you partner with is established and professional, and that you have a clear sense of what lies ahead.
So ask to see certifications, and ensure you have a direct line of communication to the genealogist who will assist you. By taking these steps of caution, you can ensure that your family’s legal assets can ultimately be claimed with dignity.
Turn To Lauth Investigations International for Your Heir Search Needs
Lauth Investigations International is a family-owned and operated investigatory firm that has been operating wold-wide from our Indiana base for more than 30 years. In completing heir searches, we draw on a diverse skillset obtained through decades of collaboration with private individuals, law enforcement, attorneys, trustees, corporations, and many more entities beside. We meet you with a seasoned and personalized service, including established expertize in deft investigation and presenting legally sound findings. Our duty is always to our clients and to truth. So learn more about our comprehensive Heir Search Service, or contact our team today for tailored advice.
Even the most simple of estate settlements can represent a quagmire of beaurocracy for those tasked with steering the course. But when things get complicated, it can become essential to call in the cavalry.
What if there are estranged, missing, or unknown parties to locate? What if a broad spread of assets transform the probate search process into a puzzle with missing pieces? In these moments, reaching out for support from gold-standard heir search services can be instrumental. So let’s explore where to start in this process so that the route to the finishing line on successful estate settlement can be drawn into focus.
Understanding Your Needs in Relation to Heir Search Services
When probate has been opened and filed, its visibility in the public record may draw the attention of all sorts of heir search services providers. It can be useful to remember at this juncture that the ball is in your court as the family member, trustee, or appointed attorney at the helm of the probate ship. Before picking your collaborator, the first thing to do is identify your needs in relation to heir search services—or even the extent to which your needs are unknown. Doing so will ensure that you can contract an heir search expert with the necessary skills required.
Questions to ask yourself include whether the genealogical investigation ahead will require obtaining records and conducting vital record searches in a local or wide geographical area, or whether the scope is even greater—such as having an investigator on hand and ready to travel when locate missing beneficiaries.
Will the heir search services provider need experience in multi-state or even multi-nation legal navigation? If this may be the case—and even if it isn’t—choosing a seasoned firm that is well versed in evidencing heir searches internationally ensures that a lead that crosses a border won’t become a stumbling block along the road ahead.
Without a doubt, complex probate proceedings can leave responsible parties open to substantial fiduciary risk. Your responsibility is to use resources wisely when commissioning heir searches, beneficiary investigations, and asset identification. With this in mind, the right heir search services can help to mitigate risk factors such as the reality that statutes and administrative requirements vary state to state, and that international investigations call not only for excellent relations but also multilingual capabilities.
Partnering With Comprehensive and Expert Heir Search Services
Whatever an heir search expert uncovers, it won’t serve you well unless it is fully and appropriately documented and ready to stand up in court. An unearthed document may be of little use if it is considered out-of-date or erroneous, while a witness testimony that was poorly obtained may ultimately be rejected. As such, it is essential to align yourself with heir search services affording the skills to efficiently, diligently, and robustly prove the right of inheritance for relevant parties with your fiduciary responsibility held in focus.
Lauth Investigations International are proud to provide a full spectrum of transparent and cost-effective heir search services, with the scalable capability to meet demand for anything from local record searches through to international beneficiary tracing, asset identification, and beyond. Our seasoned heir search operatives are experts in meeting the highest standards for probate court proceedings and can testify to their findings whenever called upon. We strongly recommend accepting nothing less. Our 30 years as veteran investigators serving an international client base mean that there is no estate matter beyond our resources. So, in choosing heir search services from Lauth Investigations International, you can enjoy total peace of mind that the task is in hand and resolution is within reach. Are you ready to learn more? Explore further guidance on the diversity of heir search services that we cater to, or connect with our team for a no-obligation consultation. We are always ready to share our expertize, bringing you one step closer to settling the estate at hand, no matter how complex.
When you’re considering marriage, you should also considering running a background check on your partner to protect your assets.
Even if you didn’t meet your significant other in cyberspace, you could still be at risk for con artists and scammers. That’s why more individuals are turning to private investigators to perform background checks on their potential life mates.
One of the most critical decisions we make in life is who to legally bind ourselves to in matrimony—not only because of the vows we make to each other, but also because the legal union in most states means entitling the other person to half of your assets. There is an unexpected trend of private investigators—especially female private investigators—in countries where arranged marriage is woven into the fabric of culture. Many families seek to control familial relations and extensions for many reasons, like politics, financials, business consolidation, and status. As recently as 2017, arranged marriage accounted for 55% of marriages throughout the globe, leaving traditional marriage in the minority. This creates a niche market for private investigators to properly vet potential spouses in countries like India, China, Pakistan, Japan, and Israel to name a few.
Even though arranged marriage is not a major part of Western
culture, that doesn’t mean that engaged individuals in the United States
shouldn’t do their due-diligence when it comes to their life mate. When it
comes to your assets, you should expect facts, not fiction. That’s why hiring a
private investigator to perform a background check on your intended can save a
great deal of heartache and financial distress. Even a basic background check
from a private investigator can unearth risk factors. Private investigators
will pull criminal history, litigation history, credit history, and history of
residence to corroborate proposed facts about your romantic partner. It’s true
that there are many “people finder” databases on the internet that claim their
results are accurate and worth the cost of purchasing the report, and therefore
an individual could conduct a background check themselves. However, private
investigators must comply with specific security protocol and licensing in
order to have access to verified databases on par with certain law enforcement
agencies. This means that the quality of data entry comes with a much higher
degree of accuracy, and will be updated regularly with regards to both public
and private records. “People finder” databases cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, which
may lead to additional misinformation, especially with regards to criminal and
litigation history.
Private investigators also have years of experience that contextualize
available information on a subject. For example, residence history is
traditionally part of a basic background check. If the subject has a long
history of moving between jurisdictions, or from state-to-state in short
periods of time, a private investigator might examine this information—and based
on context—determine that the subject has a history of transience, which could
indicate a lack of reliability or a flight risk. If a subject’s credit history
is consistently poor, that would be a financial red flag that might disqualify
a subject as a spouse.
Private investigators bring valuable contexts to background
investigations that empower individuals to make critical decisions in their private
or corporate life. When two people get married, they often conduct other litmus
tests in order to determine long-term cohabitation, such as blood tests for
their health, or pre-marital counseling to determine their level of preparation.
Background checks are just another measure for you to ensure that your life and
your livelihood are protected.
4 Reasons to Hire a Private Investigator During Your Divorce
Without question, divorce can be one of the most difficult and emotional experience in life. Not only does it mark the end of a marriage, but it can become incredibly complicated, which can lead to a long, drawn out and painful process. Enlisting the services of an experienced private investigator can sometimes make the process move a little more quickly. Here’s how.
Locate Hidden Assets – One of the biggest points of contention couples face when going through a divorce is that of mistrust over assets. If one spouse is deliberately hiding money and other assets in an attempt to avoid their proper distribution during the settlement it can cause huge delays in the process. A private investigator who specializes in divorce cases can help make sure any and all assets are accounted for.
Uncover Infidelity – While many states offer no-fault divorce, some will still grant a more favorable settlement in the case of infidelity. Unfortunately, proving such a thing can be quite challenging. With the help of a seasoned private investigator, however, you may be able to uncover all the evidence you need to tilt the courts in your favor.
Custody Battles – Under the best of circumstances, both parents should enjoy equal opportunity to have a relationship with their children following divorce. Unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world and many situations are unhealthy for children. If you’re concerned that your soon-to-be ex or former spouse is placing your kids at risk, a private eye can help gather the necessary proof to back up your claim in court.
Child Support/Alimony – Regardless of which side of the coin you’re on, determining what amount of child support and/or alimony is fair can be a huge point of contention. If you feel you’re paying too much based on misinformation provided by your former spouse, or you believe your ex is withholding information that would lead to a higher payout, a private investigator can help sort things out and ensure that everyone is operating on the up-and-up.
Going through a divorce is difficult no matter what the circumstances. Having a skilled, experienced private investigator in your corner can make a challenging situation a little bit easier to navigate. If you have questions or would like to learn more about how we may be able to help you get a favorable settlement in your divorce, contact us today.
