Intestacy

Intestacy is like a puzzle that happens when someone dies and they didn't leave any instructions for what should happen to their stuff. So, the puzzle is figuring out who gets what stuff.

The rules for the puzzle are different depending on where you live, but here's an example:

Let's say Grandma passed away and she didn't leave a will. The first step is to figure out who Grandma's closest family members are. That usually means her kids (your aunts/uncles) and her grandkids (you!).

Now, let's say there are three kids in the family- your mom, your aunt, and your uncle. If your mom passed away before Grandma, her share of the puzzle goes to her own kids (you and your siblings) instead.

Now we know who gets a share of the puzzle. But what does it mean to get a share of the puzzle? Well, that's Grandma's stuff- her money, her house, her jewelry, her car, etc. You can't just take it all for yourself- you have to share it with the other people who are also getting a share.

So if there are three grandkids sharing a puzzle piece, they'll each get an equal share of Grandma's stuff. But if there are two grandkids and one aunt, the aunt might get a larger share because she's closer in the family puzzle.

Intestacy puzzles can get pretty complicated, especially if there are a lot of family members or if someone disputes who should get what share. But no matter what, the idea is that everyone gets a fair share of Grandma's stuff, even if she didn't leave instructions herself.