Can my wife exclude me in her Will from the property that she inherits from her father?
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Can my wife exclude me in her Will from the property that she inherits from her father?
Her father is her only surviving parent. She wants to state in her Will that I will not inherit this property from her in the event that she precedes me in death. We have both worked over 30 years and both have 401k’s. However, I have asked her year in and year out to make the max contribution to her 401k and she never has. I feel cheated that she didn’t make the max contributions because she knew that she would be inheriting this property from her father.
Asked on August 22, 2011 Colorado
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
If your wife inherits property from her father or anyon else, her receipt of the property is as a gift. When a person received a gift under all laws of the states of this country, it is not an asset of the marriage or community property unless the person who receives it changes its character by making it an asset of the marriage.
If your wife inherits property from her father, she can do whatever she wishes to do with it as her separate property including excluding a gift of it in her will to you should she pass away before you do. Unfortunately for you, she can gift away her own separate property to your exclusion. whether you like it or not.
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