Family Matters
Dying Without a Will and the Default Rules That Take Over
Every legal system has a fallback distribution for people who left no valid will, and it rarely matches what most families would…
Family Matters
Wills, succession and the arrangements families put off making.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
Family Matters
What a Will Does and What It Cannot Reach
A will directs what happens to some of what you own, and a surprising amount of property is decided by other mechanisms entirely.
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Family Matters
Being an Executor: The Job Nobody Explains Before You Accept
Agreeing to act as an executor sounds like an honour and is in fact a demanding administrative role with real responsibilities…
Family Matters
Why a Will Needs Witnesses Who Gain Nothing From It
The witnessing requirement looks like an antique formality and is doing serious work protecting the person whose wishes are being…
Family Matters
Probate and What the Process Is Actually For
The formal process after a death exists to give somebody provable authority to deal with property that no longer has a living owner.
Family Matters
Joint Ownership Can Quietly Override a Will
How an asset is held can matter more than what any document says about it, and most people never examine the paperwork closely…
Family Matters
Power of Attorney: Authority Granted Before It Is Needed
These documents let somebody act for you, and their whole value lies in having been made while you were still able to make them.
Family Matters
Guardianship Wishes and What They Can and Cannot Settle
Parents can express who should care for their children, and how much weight that expression carries depends heavily on the system…
Family Matters
Trusts Explained Without the Jargon
A trust separates who holds property from who benefits from it, and almost everything else about trusts follows from that single…
Family Matters
Why Gifts Made During a Lifetime Still Matter Afterwards
Giving property away before death is a common plan, and several legal mechanisms mean the gift may still be looked at once the…
Family Matters
The Common Law Marriage That Does Not Exist in Many Places
Long cohabitation is widely believed to create marriage-like rights, and in a great many jurisdictions it creates almost none at…
Family Matters
Agreements Couples Make Before and Instead of Marrying
Pre-nuptial and similar agreements try to settle in advance what would otherwise be decided during a difficult separation, with…