A will leaves your assets to your heirs when you die. You can choose who you want to leave what to in your will. “I leave my house to bob, I leave my money to Jane, I leave my boat to the Pope,” etc.

That concept is easy enough to grasp.

But what happens if you don’t have a will? Who does your stuff go to?

The answer is simple. Your stuff goes to your spouse (if you have one), and your closest heirs. The state assumes that you would probably want your stuff to go to your closest relatives, so when you die without a will the state splits up your stuff equally, or in different percentages and gives it to your closest heirs.

The laws that govern dying without a will are called the laws of “intestacy.”

Read the full Massachussetts intestate laws here.