# Dopers without kids: Who are you leaving your "estate" to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627 "2006-07-22T20:09:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627/41 "2006-07-24T15:05:26Z")
[QUOTE=Trunk] If wife and I both died suddenly, I’m not sure what would happen. Damn – I don’t know how my family and inlaws would even find my money which is pretty much all at Ameritrade. [/QUOTE] Sure they would. You get statements in the mail, don’t you? My aunt died two years ago intestate. It took almost two years to settle her estate because she owned a business.That’s how we discovered where her assets and debts were: through statements which were mailed to us and forwarded to the executor (her mother was chosen). I’d imagine the process is pretty slow if you die without a will even if you don’t own a business, so there would be plenty of time for your family to get all of your statements in the mail and find out where your assets are located. ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627/42 "2006-07-24T17:04:37Z")
My parents are listed as my beneficiaries, etc., but I’ve told them that the estate should go to my nephews. As my parents get older, or when my nephews are older, I’ll probably name my brother or them as beneficiaries. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627/43 "2006-07-24T17:17:44Z")
Currently, it’s set up so that Mr. Stuff and I get everything if the other one dies. If we have children, it will go to them. If we don’t have children, it goes to siblings or their children. Anybody under 25 when they inherit gets everything put into a trust to be distributed by my brother for their respective post-secondary educations. Anything that’s left over when they’re 25, they can blow through however they like. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2006, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627/44 "2006-07-24T17:23:05Z")
My parents are on my insurance from work (nominal amount for my “final expenses”). My retirement and net assets (nominal amount after bills are paid) are to be donated, I think to the Catholic Worker at this point. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627/45 "2006-07-25T01:56:13Z")
I name my younger brother and (even) younger cousin as beneficiaries whenever I have to assign some for life insurance policies. If I marry, that’ll probably change, but as for family, they’re the two I’m most unlikely to outlive. god willing ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2006, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627/46 "2006-07-25T02:14:48Z")
> [@](#): > > **Campion** :Well, there goes my theory about the shoemaker’s children having no shoes. I figure I’ll get around to it eventually, when the little nieces and nephews arrive, but right now, intestacy is good enough for me! Yeah, I forced my parents to update theirs (last written in a holographic province when my sister and I were minors!!!) last year and insisted that my sister and I get some too. I wasn’t too concerned about the property distribution, all 4 of us were more concerned about the living will/health proxy issue. I ended up as the executor of everyone’s will except my own, apparently! My sister, similarly, is the health proxy, whatever, for everyone else except herself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-without-kids-who-are-you-leaving-your-estate-to/365627.md?page=2)