What is the difference between a beneficiary and an heir?

The difference between a beneficiary and an heir in Washington is determined by state law. Beneficiaries are people who are named in a will or other document to receive assets from an estate. An heir, on the other hand, is a person who is entitled to assets from an estate by law. In Washington state, an individual who has been designated a beneficiary in a will or other document is the one who will receive the assets from the estate. The beneficiary has the legal right to the assets regardless of what other heirs may have wanted. Beneficiaries are usually family members or close friends who have been named in a will or trust. In contrast, an heir is someone who is legally entitled to receive assets from an estate by law. This does not mean that the individual has been named in a document. Instead, it means that the individual is legally entitled to assets from the estate based on their relationship to the deceased, such as a spouse, parent, or child. In Washington, the assets would be distributed to the heirs in order of succession, with a surviving spouse, then children, then parents, then siblings. Therefore, the major difference between a beneficiary and an heir is that a beneficiary is someone who has been specifically named in a document, whereas an heir is someone who has a legal right to assets from an estate based on their relationship to the deceased.

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