It is advised to always doublecheck what a word means before arguing with someone about it.
Several years ago in discussing intestate probate, I indicated that my children were not heirs of my mother upon her death. An attendee in the audience insisted that they would be.
Nope. They would not be heirs of my mother since I was alive at the time of her death. They would only be heirs of my mother if I predeceased my mother. My mother could have made them beneficiaries or legatees, but not heirs.
An “heir,” sometimes written as “heir-at-law,” is someone who is legally entitled to inherit from someone if that person dies intestate. Living children of someone who dies intestate are their heirs. Living grandchildren of someone who dies intestate would be their heirs if the parent of that grandchild predeceased the parent.
Beneficiaries and legatees are individuals that receive property because a deceased individual has structured their property in such a way (via wills, trusts, or financial documents) that the beneficiary or legatee receives it upon their death.
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