Tag: intestacy
Connecticut residents have a default estate plan. It is codified in a set of statutes known as the laws of intestacy. These laws determine who is entitled to inherit the deceased’s property. Generally, the distribution of property depends on whether a person was married, had children, or had living parents. Intestacy—the default estate distribution schematic—can be modified through estate planning.
Scenario 1: Single—No Children—Living Parents
The estate of an unmarried decedent without children would pass entirely to his parents.
Scenario...
Estate Property: Probate or Non-Probate?
An estate plan is not a stack of documents. At its heart, estate planning involves arranging one’s property and affairs for use during life and disposition after death. A person’s “gross estate” generally includes two types of property: probate and non-probate. This article provides a brief overview of these two approaches to property distribution after death.
Probate property refers to assets that must pass through the Probate Court system before being distributed to heirs. A probate case begins when a person (usually a potential heir of the deceased) asks the Court to open a proceeding for the administration of a decedent’s estate. The Court will...