My friend's wife died without a will at the age of 72. They had been married for 23 years. There's a probate process in Minnesota that seems a bit bizarre. I assumed that there would be no issues and that the house etc would go to my friend. Not so. Suddenly relatives seldom seen before came out of the woodwork and they want a piece of the estate. They are legally entitled to get some of it too. My friend may be able to live in the house for the rest of his life, but he will not likely own it and will not be able to make improvements to it or sell it. I will keep you posted on this.
My own insurance is setup where my wife is the sole beneficiary if I die, and my surviviing kids are next in line if my wife is no longer alive. This is the way I thought things worked in the case of an estate. Apparently not.
Have you experienced something like this, and maybe have any tips for helping my friend.
