Ask the Expert: Are wills public?

How can I find out whether someone who died has left money to charities in his will? We were longtime friends who often spoke about the things we wanted to do to help other people. I'd like to know if and how he carried out his intentions.

If your friend's will has been probated, you can go to Surrogate's Court in the county where he lived and request a copy. Wills are a matter of public record.

Indeed, the wills of famous people are often publicized after their deaths -- and sometimes, the will matches the decedent's public image. For example, lawyers sometimes cite Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' will as a model of elegance and simplicity. Onassis left her residuary estate -- all the assets not specifically left to named individuals -- to a trust to be managed by her children and her longtime companion, Maurice Templesman. The trust pays yearly income to a charitable foundation Onassis created in her will until 2018. Then, its assets will be equally divided among her children's descendants.

By contrast, Jerry Garcia, the lead guitarist of the Grateful Dead, seems barely to have glanced at his will: It was so carelessly written that it misspelled the name of one of his children, saddled his estate with easily avoided taxes and unnecessary fees, and triggered a public battle among his surviving relatives and professional associates.

If you want to avoid the possibility of public comments on your will after you're gone, leave your estate via a living trust instead. A trust costs more than a will; and it won't reduce your taxes. But trust assets go directly to named beneficiaries without passing through probate -- so only your nearest and dearest will know how you left your money.

The bottom line Wills are public documents.

Websites with more information bit.ly/usOpge and bit.ly/tWEe15