When you die will your daughter who was adopted by your sister inherit your property?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, when one dies, the estate or assets one leaves behind go to the individual(s), the group(s) and/or the organization(s) that one designates in one's will. Without a will, there arise complications concerning who gets what. It can be a mess. Usually it's family, but the media is chockablock with (sensational) coverage of the litigation over the estates left behind by the wealthy. A person with even a modest amount of assets should, therefor, make out a will to specify the distribution of those assets. Oh, and willing assets to a child does not necessarily mean the child will get them. In the case cited, the parent (in this case the adoptive parent) will control the assets for the child if the child is a minor. In the event this might be unacceptable to the person writing the will, an option would be to leave the assets in trust to the child and specify someone other than the (adoptive) parent to be the executor of the trust. The active word there is trust. Leaving assets to an individual in trust requires choosing a trustee that one can, well, trust. That way the trustee can insure that bad things don't happen. What if the (adoptive) parent uses the trust funds to buy a new automobile for their own use and then bills the trust claiming it was purchased for the child? Something so bogus will not get past a conscientious trustee. The law applicable to a will varies from state to state, but the basics are common. Many attorneys and para-legals provide free or low-cost counsel in cases like this (especially upon an initial visit), and it is a really good idea to call on one for specific advice. Offering advice and writing wills is a common activity in the business of law, and there are a lot of practitioners. Do not construe any of this as legal advice. Look at it as a place to begin an understanding of a problem so that one can embark on the search for a good and workable solution to that problem. Lastly, if I cut myself, I wash the cut and put on a band-aid. If I break my leg I go to the doctor (or emergency room physician) for treatment. The more consequential the legal issue, the more one should seek out a professional. Good luck.