Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Marguerita is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor ...

Intestacy laws step in immediately when someone dies without clear instructions. These laws, which vary by state, decide who gets what from bank accounts, property, and personal items. It can lead to ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matthew F. Erskine is a trusts and estates attorney. A common misconception is that the absence of a will is a problem. In reality ...

I’m trying to determine the value of an interest in real estate in a complicated scenario. The original owner died without a will. He had been married two times, and his second wife is selling ...

Few people like to face their own mortality, and new research from the National Wills Register reveals that approximately 47% of UK adults, over 32 million people, do not have a will. “Do I need a ...