Ask The Money Coach

Question: You’ve answered an email from me before since I’ve been reading Zero Debt and I hope you can answer another question now.  Today, my question is for a friend. Her father has had lung cancer for a number of years. He’s not doing very well now.

What she needs to know is what will happen to her father’s credit card debt after he passes away.  The credit cards are all just in his name.  Also, her mother is still living.  She has spent a lot of time with her father, taking care of him, and I know she would love to be able to handle all of his financial obligations but she just doesn’t have the means.

Answer:

The bottom line is that: no family members or relatives are responsible for someone’s credit card debt after that person dies, as long as those surviving family members are not joint owners or co-signers of the debt.

Even his wife would not be legally obligated to pay off his credit cards if she is not listed as a co-owner on the account.

I hope this info helps.

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