Who is your next of kin if you are married?

Your next of kin is typically considered to be your closest relative by marriage or blood. If you’re married, for example, your next of kin is usually your spouse. When you complete medical paperwork or preplan for something like a burial or cremation, your provider may ask you to provide the name of a next of kin.

Who is next of kin if married?

Can a distant relative inherit my mother’s property?

Distant relatives may inherit property, but only when close relatives don’t exist. If your mother was single, then you and your siblings as well as any surviving parents (if only one parent died), will receive your mother’s assets. If no parents are alive, then the estate passes in equal shares to you and your siblings.

What happens to a family’s estate if a parent remarries?

Certainly, no child would want to deprive their parent of finding love later in life, but what is the risk to the family’s estate if that parent should remarry? Well, potentially huge. The children could lose their entire inheritance, as in the case of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson.

What happens to my mother’s estate when she dies?

If your mother was single, then you and your siblings as well as any surviving parents (if only one parent died), will receive your mother’s assets. If no parents are alive, then the estate passes in equal shares to you and your siblings. If your mother was single with children, then the estate would pass in equal shares to the children.

Can a sibling collect property by affidavit for a small estate?

If your parents’ state allows for collection of personal property by affidavit for small estates, your sibling may not need to be appointed by the court. Instead, they might be able to sign an affidavit under oath declaring that they are entitled to take receipt of assets on behalf of the estate.