Simultaneous death laws were created to resolve uncertainties when people die close in time to each other. Before such laws, the lack of evidence about who died first could lead to legal battles and inconsistent outcomes. Courts made presumptions based on factors such as age or health that were arbitrary and unreliable, and assets could pass from one estate to the next, resulting in unintended beneficiaries.
Simultaneous death laws created a more standardized approach and introduced a simpler standard. Default laws like simultaneous death statutes are meant to provide a framework when no specific planning exists. Do not let fate—or the state—decide your estate plan. Make sure you have a plan that ensures your assets go where you want, how you want, accounts for state laws, and is updated regularly to account for changing circumstances. Call us today.
