The lawyer answer is, that depends.* Here’s basically how it works: when someone dies, state law determines how his property is passed to his heirs - unless he has a will. My first questions to you will be: What do you own? Do you have property and what kind of property is it? Do you own real estate, a 401K, or a checking account? Do you care if the state determines where your property goes if you die? Some types of property can have designated benefici