BETTENDORF, Iowa (KWQC) – Recent polls show that fewer people are writing wills, suggesting that Americans are less concerned about their mortality as the pandemic subsides. A decline in wills is usually bad news for survivors.

If you die without a will, you will have no estate and the probate court will apply the laws of the state where you reside to determine how your property will be distributed among your next of kin. This can cause grief and stress for family members who are already grieving.

Heidi Huiskamp Collins states that more than 62% of Americans do not have a will or trust. The division of an estate when there is no will or trust varies greatly depending on the state in which you live.

The first interview, beginning in mid-August 2024, will review Illinois’ rules. Click here for the link to that section.

If you die without a will in Iowa, your estate will be distributed to your next of kin according to the state’s intestate succession laws. This section explains the family implications, such as… NEEDS TO BE EDITED…

• The basics: Someone has a spouse and/or children. If you die without a will, 100% goes to your spouse – assuming there are no children.
• However, if you have both a spouse and children, 50% goes to the spouse and the children share the rest.
• If there is no spouse but living children, the estate is divided equally among them.
• What happens if there is no spouse or children? If you have parents and siblings, the share is divided equally among everyone.
• If there are no parents or siblings, it can go to the siblings’ children or grandchildren.
• And what about domestic partners? Illinois does not recognize common law marriages. If there is no marriage, there is no inheritance.
• And if there are no relatives? The state of Illinois gets everything.

Huiskamp Collins Investments is located at 2209 Falcon Avenue, Bettendorf.

For more information, visit https://hhcinvestments.net/ or call 563-949-4705.

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