Dying Without
A Will What Happens?
Emily R. Lambright
W
e have discussed in this column what a will is and what a will is intended to do, but what if a
person dies without a will? It has been estimated that more than 50 percent (50%) of people
will die without a will in this country. The reasons for that vary from person to person, but the most
common reason is that death is hard to think and talk about. Regardless of why a person may not have
a will, it is important to understand what happens when there is no will in place.
The first factor to keep in mind is that a will only controls certain types of assets, which are subject
to probate. There are several types of assets that generally are not probate, such as houses or farms,
where the deed lists the owners as joint with rights of survivorship; bank accounts that \