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Life in the USA Government and Law Everyday Law
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Estate and Trust Law
The law of estates, trusts and wills is another basic area where the 50 states differ. If you die intestate (“without a will”) your property goes to whomever the state you live in says it goes to. You must write a valid will and have it witnessed and signed in a specified manner in order to make your own wishes legally valid. In addition, complicated estate and gift tax laws exist at every governmental level, which means you must do some "estate planning" to keep the state and federal governments from getting everything.
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