What does per Stirpes mean in legal terms?

What does per Stirpes mean in legal terms?

Per stirpes is a legal term stipulating that should a beneficiary predecease the testator\u2014the person who has made out the will\u2014the beneficiary’s share of the inheritance goes to his heirs. While per stirpes and per capita are similar, there are differences.

Does per Stirpes mean equal?

Per stirpes (/p\u025c\u02d0r \u02c8st\u025c\u02d0rpi\u02d0z/; “by branch”) is a legal term from Latin. An estate of a decedent is distributed per stirpes if each branch of the family is to receive an equal share of an estate.

How many generations does per Stirpes cover?

With a modern per stirpes beneficiary designation in a will, the grandchildren could each receive an equal share of the assets (in the above case, one-fifth of the estate for each of the five grandchildren) should all of the original beneficiaries (their parents) predecease the testator.

Which is better per Stirpes or per capita?

Under per capita, the share of any beneficiary that precedes you in death is shared equally among the remaining beneficiaries. With per stirpes, if one child were to precede you in death, the other child would receive half, and the children of the deceased child would get the other half.

What is the opposite of per Stirpes?

The two terms “per stirpes” and “per capita” are opposite terms. A will, or other document, usually has one or the other term used at least one time.

Is Texas per Stirpes?

Per stirpes means that assets are divided equally by each branch of the family when there were surviving descendants in that branch. Ann decides to leave her estate “to her descendants, per stirpes.” If all three of her children survive her, each child inherits one-third (1/3) of Ann’s estate.

What does per Stirpes mean in an IRA?

A per stirpes designation means that if one of your IRA beneficiaries is deceased, the deceased person’s children will receive his or her share.

How many beneficiaries can you have on an IRA?

You may generally name more than one primary beneficiary to share in the IRA or retirement plan proceeds. You just need to specify (on the beneficiary designation form) the portion of the funds that you want each beneficiary to receive.

Does beneficiary override spouse?

Under ERISA, if the owner of a retirement account is married when he or she dies, his or her spouse is automatically entitled to receive 50 percent of the money, regardless of what the beneficiary designation says. A spouse can forgo his or her right to 50 percent of the account by properly executing a Spousal Waiver.

Can I roll my deceased spouse’s IRA into mine?

Widows and widowers can roll over inherited IRA funds into their own IRAs. If required minimum distributions must be taken from the inherited IRA, widows and widowers can calculate them based on their own life expectancies. Spousal beneficiaries can also empty an inherited IRA on a five-year schedule.

What happens if you inherit your spouse’s IRA?

Distributions from another Roth IRA cannot be substituted for these distributions unless the other Roth IRA was inherited from the same decedent. If the sole beneficiary is the spouse, he or she can either delay distributions until the decedent would have reached age 70½ or treat the Roth IRA as his or her own.

Is it better to inherit or assume an IRA?

One of the main advantages of assuming an IRA, as opposed to inheriting it, is that you don’t have to immediately begin taking annual distributions. You will not have to take any money out of your assumed IRA until April 1 after you turn 70 1/2, per IRS regulations.

What is the difference between a spousal IRA and an inherited IRA?

A spousal IRA heir gets a lot of flexibility in deciding what to do with the account. A spouse who inherits an IRA has a choice. The surviving spouse can move the account into an inherited IRA to keep the tax shelter. Or she can choose to roll the account into her own IRA.