Many married couples have children that they can leave their estate to. If you don’t have any children of your own, estate planning might not seem like a priority. Still, just because you and your spouse are a childless couple does not mean you have no one to leave your property to.
It might occur to you later on that you want a family member or an organization to receive something of great value to you. Business Insider describes some possible heirs that you might designate in your estate plans.
Siblings
If you have one or more siblings, you might consider leaving them money or property. This will depend on your family dynamics. You may not have a close relationship with a brother or sister, so it might not make sense to name your sibling as an heir. Also, you or your spouse could have one sibling who is well off but another who is facing hard financial times. In this case, you may want to leave the disadvantaged sibling some of your estate.
Parents
Think about the possibility that your parents might outlive you. A sickness or a sudden accident could cause your death. If your parents are approaching old age, they could benefit from an inheritance from you. They may need more assets to cover health care or nursing home costs.
Younger relatives
Even if you don’t have children, you may have nieces, nephews or younger cousins that you could benefit with an inheritance. This will depend on your personal connection to your younger family members. You also want to be sure that designating your nephews or nieces as heirs does not make their immediate family members jealous or resentful.
Charities
Another way to leave a legacy is to help your favorite charities with a monetary contribution following your death. For example, you might leave a savings account to a charity in your will. You may also create a trust that will pay to your preferred charity. Some people create a charitable remainder trust to supply themselves with an income from the trust and then pay out the rest to a charity after they die.
