Recently, a North Dakota woman was charged with killing her boyfriend to get his inheritance. The man was expected to inherit $30 million, and officials believe her plan was to make a claim that she was his common-law wife so she could get the money from his estate. Whether the man had a will is unclear. In most states, your assets will go to your spouse and children if you die without a will. Some states recognize common law marriage (the concept that you are married in the eyes of the law even though you did not obtain a license or have a marriage ceremony). Still oddly enough, North Dakota is not one of them.
This is an extreme example, but it begs the question: should you tell your heirs what your assets are or what they should expect to inherit? Here are 10 points to consider:
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