When someone dies and leaves a valid will, most often it must be filed in the court clerk’s office of the country where they lived. Once it’s filed (which usually happens fairly quickly), it becomes a public document. In some cases, they may be able to mail a copy of the will to you – for a fee, of course.

A gift left in a will is called a legacy If you want to leave a particular gift or item to someone then this is called a specific legacy. This type of gift is called a pecuniary legacy. It doesn’t specify what part of your estate it should be paid from so it is paid from your general estate after death.

A disclaimer of a will is a legally binding refusal of a gift under the will by a beneficiary. A person does not have to accept a gift that they are to receive under the terms of a will.

The answer is yes. The technical term is “disclaiming” it. If you are considering disclaiming an inheritance, you need to understand the effect of your refusal—known as the “disclaimer”—and the procedure you must follow to ensure that it is considered qualified under federal and state law.

Who’s responsible for a deceased person’s debts? As a rule, a person’s debts do not go away when they die. Those debts are owed by and paid from the deceased person’s estate. By law, family members do not usually have to pay the debts of a deceased relative from their own money.

Credit card debt When you die, it is the responsibility of your estate to take care of any remaining debt. If your estate is not able to do so, the credit card company is out of luck. The only time someone else is responsible for your credit card debt is if they are a joint account holder with you.

Generally speaking, creditors try to collect on what’s owed them by going after the estate of the decedent in a process called probate. However, there are instances where the surviving spouse (or other heir) may be legally responsible. Not all assets are counted as part of a person’s estate for probate purposes.