This week, as I reached into the mailbag, I pulled out two questions, neither of them with easy answers. I was tempted to set them aside and try again, but I decided to tackle both, knowing that my letter-writers are not the only ones facing these kinds of financial situations. Dear Mary: If my parents are in debt and they die, who pays the bills? I am terrified of inheriting my parents’ debts. —Bethany Dear Bethany: First, let me be clear that I am not an attorney, so what follows is my opinion. When a person dies, creditors can only look to his or her estate (the assets that person owned upon his or her death) for the payment of debts. If the debts are shared legally with another person still living, as in the case of a spouse in a community property state, or someone else who can sign …