I. Wills & trusts.

A. Wills

A will is a legal document that allows you to designate who will receive your property when you die, and how and when they will receive it. If you die without a will, your property will be distributed to your legal heirs. This is called intestate succession. With the exception of three states, a same-sex partner is NOT considered to be a legal heir and therefore is not legally entitled to inherit your property if you die without a will. This is true regardless of how long you have been with your partner and regardless of your relationship with your blood relatives.

The three states in which same-sex partners do have intestacy rights are California, Hawaii, and Vermont. In California, a registered domestic partner is entitled to inherit if the other partner dies without a will. In Vermont, the same is true for spouses in a civil union, and in Hawaii the same is true for reciprocal beneficiaries. It is important to note, however, that in these three states, if you die without a will, the percent of your property that will go to your domestic partner/civil union partner/reciprocal beneficiary will depend on whether you have other living heirs when you die and if so, how many. Thus, even in a state in which your partner has intestacy rights, you need to draft a will and/or prepare a trust to control what and how much your partner will receive after your death.

In addition to allowing you to determine who will get your property, a will also allows you to say who you want to supervise the distribution of your assets. You can also include preferences in your will about funeral arrangements, disposition of your remains, and who will be in charge of your funeral or memorial service. Finally, if you have children, you can include a provision in your will nominating a guardian to care for your children after your death. A court is not bound to honor a nomination of guardianship but, in the absence of any challenge, they are often respected.

B. Trusts

Another way to designate who will receive your property upon your death is through a revocable living trust. A living trust is similar to a will in that it allows you to say who should get what; it differs from a will in that property left by a will must go through the court probate process - which means that the will must be proven valid, and the person's debts are paid before the property is distributed. ...