When you aren’t clear about your wishes, you leave a blank space for your loved ones to try to fill in. This can be incredibly stressful to them – even if you’ve expressed your wishes to them but didn’t write them down – so it’s important to know your wishes ahead of time. Learn what could happen to you if you don’t make your wishes known.
What Happens if You Become Incapacitated in Tennessee?
If you become incapacitated in Tennessee (a temporary coma, for instance,) and have no medical power of attorney set, your loved ones may have to go to court and then a judge will decide who can make medical decisions for you if you’re unable to communicate your wishes.
Trying to determine your wishes after you can no longer express them can be an extremely stressful time for your family, which is why it’s so important to communicate your wishes ahead of time, just in case anything happens to you.
What Happens if You Die without a Will or Trust in Tennessee?
If you die without a will, that is called “intestate.” This means that whatever inheritance you leave behind, including your property, is subject to Tennessee intestate succession laws. Intestate laws typically leave your property to your surviving spouse and/or children, but parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews could become eligible too.
Here’s a quick breakdown of what would happen in Tennessee if you are married or have children:
- If you have a spouse but no children, the spouse would inherit your entire estate, even if you’re separated.
- If you have a spouse and children, the estate would be divided equally among all parties (except that the spouse can receive no less than 33% of the overall estate).
- If you only have children, your estate would be split equally among all the children.
Keep in mind that only your biological and adopted children will inherit from you if you do not have a will. If you would like to leave part of your estate to step-children, foster children, godchildren, or other children who are close to your heart, you’ll want to make plans for that in your will or through non-probate beneficiary designations.
Here’s what would happen if you died unmarried and without children:
- If you have a parent, the entire estate would go to your parent(s).
- If you have sibling(s) but no living parents, the estate will be split equally among your siblings.
- If you have no parents or siblings, the estate will be split equally among your siblings’ children.
- If you’ve none of the above, the estate would be split equally among paternal and maternal aunts and uncles.
You don’t have to die to see how this one might end if you don’t write your decisions out!
Who Makes Funeral Decisions if You Die in Tennessee?
Similar to the above, if no one has been legally designated to make funeral decisions on their loved one’s behalf, it falls to the next-of-kin, which would be the spouse or adult children. Once the family member takes responsibility for making and paying for their loved one’s funeral arrangements, they sign a legal contract that obligates the funeral home to follow instructions from that family member alone.
Make sure you tell your family what you want so there’s a consensus during a difficult time..
What if there are no next of kin?
If there are no next of kin (as defined above) and no personal representative, any other person willing to assume responsibility and arrange the funeral (including the funeral director) can make funeral decisions, after attesting that a good faith effort has been made. As for your estate, if no family can be found it will ultimately be turned over to unclaimed property.
Learn More from Graceful Aging Legal Services
Don’t leave a blank space for your family members to fill in regarding your end of life wishes. Don’t keep them second-guessing. Instead, leave something that people can read like a magazine to know what you want your life – and death – to be like.
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