Did you know that when you die without a will in Pennsylvania stepchildren do not receive anything?
Ultimately, your family members pay the price because resolving issues post death becomes much more complicated and expensive for your family. If dying without a will or “intestate” in Pennsylvania, your grieving family members will need to pick someone to administer the estate. It may difficult for the family to decide who should and can take on this responsibility.You may need to find a lawyer right away to assist you with the process. This may put you at a disadvantage because you may not have time to find the best lawyer for you. This can again increase expense for you and your family.
Because of the added complexity of having no will, you may end up paying more for legal advice, such as, deciding who will administer your estate, asking relatives to renounce their right to administer an estate.
If you know a lawyer that can assist you right away, that is valuable. If not, the lawyer may not be available right away. If the lawyer has to put other work aside to assist you, lawyers may sometimes ask for a premium to assist you..
You may lose time off from work; incur travel expenses, and other expenses trying to figure it all out.
Do yourself and your family a big favor and plan your estate before death. This way you can give away your hard earned assets to who you want to, you can pick someone to administer your will in advance, and your family can focus on remembering you, not the terrible fiasco of administering a long drawn out intestate estate.