Sometimes people die without a will. It's likely that they fully intended to get to it one day. Or maybe, philosophically, they believed it will not be their problem after they die, so to heck with it. If you die “intestate,” meaning without a will, the state will step in and make a determination of how your assets will be distributed after paying your debts. Your property will be handled differently depending on your marital status and whether or not you have surviving children. It roughly breaks down like this:

• Married with children — In most states, the disbursement of the estate will be one-third to one-half to the surviving spouse and the balance to the children, no matter what their ages are.

• Married without children — Most states would give one-third to one-half of the estate to the surviving spouse. The balance this time would go to the deceased person's parents, or, if they were not alive, to any brothers and sisters.

• Single with children — All states award the full assets of a deceased single parent to the children.

• Single with no children — The deceased's parents are designated as beneficiaries in most cases under this circumstance. If parents are no longer alive, property would likely go to brothers and sisters.

• Single with no parents, children, or siblings — The state court will look for your nearest living relatives following the “degrees of kindred” chart.

Clearly state governments favor familial relationships when faced with deciding how to distribute assets for a person who has died without a will. If you have ideas other than leaving your property to a spouse, children, parents, or siblings, you had better get it pulled together in a will — now!