Blood Relatives & Wills

Create a will to share your earthly treasures after you're gone.

Before your life ends, you should make legal provisions for the wealth and property you leave behind. Even your body becomes property of the estate. If you don't designate who controls what you leave behind, the state in which you live makes that decision.

Designating Inheritors

Wills are written so that you have control over who inherits your estate. In the absence of lineal descendants, from children to grandparents, the estate is passed on to the next of kin. For the purposes of the will, adopted children are considered blood relatives in nearly every state. Spouses of relatives other than the spouse of the deceased are not entitled to inheritances in any state.

Absence of Will

In the absence of a will, blood relatives are awarded the estate of the deceased, if there is no surviving spouse. If the estate is valued at more than $250,000, it is divided among the children and the spouse. If there are no immediate family members, then the estate is passed on to the closest relative.

Orders of Preference

Preference is based on the closest lineal ties to the deceased, such as sisters and brothers. If they are deceased, then it passes to their children or the brothers and sisters of the deceased's parents.

References

• National Savings and Investments: You and Your Money
• "The Complete Book of Wills, Estates & Trusts"; Alexander A. Bove; 2005
• "Basic Wills, Trusts, and Estates for Paralegals"; Jeffrey A. Helewitz; 2008