If a pair has youngsters, it is typically assumed that on death, the partner will inherit all the deceased’s property and use it to look after herself and the couple’s youngsters. However, under the statute of descent and distribution, if the couple has kids, all of whom are additionally the children of the surviving spouse, the partner receives solely ½ of all of the property, the rest passing to the deceased’s children. If the kids are minors, this makes accessing the funds obtained from the decedent tougher and costly, since they will be positioned in custodial accounts. If the couple’s kids are grown, the deceased can only rely on his adult youngsters’s dutifulness to their residing parent to ensure she is ready to keep herself in her old age with only half the wealth the couple accrued throughout their lives collectively. Wills could be legally contested if specific relations are reduce out of the desire. Additionally, spouses could petition to inherit a share of the decedent’s estate if they’ve been minimize out of the will.