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Questions tagged [inheritance]

Questions about the laws relating to inheritance. Considered adding a location tag if the question is specific to a particular jurisdiction.

Inheritance is the practice of passing on private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time.

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How to protect assets from being passed to a beneficiary in a will when they are likely to die soon also

I'm going through the process of creating a simple (my first) last will and testament. I'm young with modest assets. I'm married with no children and live in the United States. I'd like to have something in place to make things as seamless as…
jdf
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Which grandchild is older, if one was born chronologically earlier but on a later calendar date due to timezones?

In his will, Charlie bequeaths his estate to his "oldest living grandchild." Upon Charlie's death, his two oldest living grandchildren are Bob and Alice. Bob was born in Vancouver, British Columbia on March 7th at 11 p.m. local time. Alice was born…
FlanMan
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Which countries' inheritance laws apply?

My mother, a German national with a green card passed away recently. Her husband (my dad) of 59 years is an American citizen (born in US). My mother spent the majority of her adult years in the United States. She kept a bank account in Germany. The…
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What happens when a will conflicts with a new law (a law made after the testator has died)?

What happens when a will conflicts with a new law (a law made after the testator has died)? Suppose I have been bequeathed the family farm and the testator specified that the farm must be run in accordance with how it was traditionally run (this is…
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What needs to be done if I'm inheriting a gun?

My grandfather recently died and I was asked by my dad and his siblings if I wanted my grandfather's .22 rifle. I agreed, but have no idea what to do to legally take possession of the gun. My assumption is that it's registered with the state of…
BDD
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Is there a restriction on who can inherit your wealth?

Is there a restriction on who can inherit your wealth? For example, I doubt that you can donate money to the Taliban if you're a U.S. citizen, so I am wondering if the American laws specify what those restrictions are or if it's up to the judge to…
user25884
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Does the death of a party involved in the execution of a will mean that they do not inherit?

A friend of mine is engaged in a lengthy probate process over her inheritance from her parents with her brother as the executor. Without getting into details of why it's been so protracted, it's been going on for well over a year now with all of the…
SCD
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Stealing a wealthy man's sperm to collect child support

Mary works as a maid for billionaire investor Maxwell Baron III. They live in New York. Mary always dreamed of marrying rich. However, perhaps because of her modest family background, no millionaire seemed to pay attention to her. One day, while…
Nicholas Marshall
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Under English common law, do adopted children have the same inheritance rights as biological children?

In Iran, adopted children do not inherit from adoptive parents under the Civil Code (e.g., Article 861). I’m trying to understand how this compares with other systems, particularly English common law and Malaysian law (which involves both Islamic…
Behzad Rajaei
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Inheritance Tax: the Estate or the Beneficiaries?

Is Inheritance Tax levied on the estate, with a £325,000 exemption; or, the individual beneficiaries, each with a £325,000 exemption? If e.g. an estate is worth £1,000,000 and there are two beneficiaries (children of the deceased), what would each…
tony
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What's the point of an inheritance tax on movable property? Can't valuable property be shipped to a country without the tax, and be inherited there?

This probably wouldn't happen for property that's low value and bulky, like furniture. But for property like yachts, planes, artwork, jewellery, etc., it seems easy to move it to a country without inheritance taxes since the relocation costs would…
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Is it possible to distribute inheritance equally among sons and daughters under Islamic law?

In Islamic law, the general rule is that a son inherits twice the share of a daughter. However, I would like to know if it is legally possible to distribute inheritance equally among sons and daughters. Can a person make a will (wasiyyah) or take…
Behzad Rajaei
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Does an inherited IRA count toward a specific bequest?

This is a question about US law. I realize there might be some differences across states. Suppose I have a $3 million IRA with my friend Nellie listed as the beneficiary. Nellie is also mentioned in my will, which specifies that she is to receive…
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How can I legally abandon property in Texas

I inherited an empty lot in a residential neighborhood in Kingsville, Texas from my grandfather when he died several years ago. I have been paying taxes on this property since then, but I would like to stop paying taxes on this property and abandon…
jsp
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Who would actually have claim on the buried treasure in the film Holes?

In the film Holes*, in the early 1900s, a man named Stanley Yelnats was robbed of a chest full of treasure. The bandit later buried the treasure on the property of a man named Trout Walker in Texas. Years later, in the late 90s or early 00s,…
T Hummus
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