What is the natural order of succession for beneficiaries in Massachusetts?
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What is the natural order of succession for beneficiaries in Massachusetts?
I have two divorced parents. Each parent has remarried so that I have two stepparents. I also have a paternal half-sister and living maternal grandparents. I’d like to know, in the absence of my naming any beneficiaries, if I were to designate 100 of my life insurance to my mother, and if she were no longer living, would the money go to my stepfather, or would it go to my father? And if my mother, stepfather, and father were no longer living, would my stepmother, half sister, or grandparents receive the money thereafter? Thank you
Asked on October 9, 2018 under Estate Planning, Massachusetts
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 5 years ago | Contributor
So I think what you are doing is a bit of estate planning, which is great, but a little more involved then you would get here, sice I can not see what your assets are. If you die without a Will then the intestacy laws in the state apply, and I will give you a ling to the statute below. However, if you are going to write a Will then that statute does not apply, and you can leave whatever you want to whome ever you want - mostly. You can not disinherit a spouse (they have a right to elect against estate) and you can generally disinherit a child but must do so with specific language that the case law has required. Step parents are not blood relatives and do not inherit from an estate unless they adopted you. Good luck.
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartII/TitleII/Chapter190B/ArticleII
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