ome very close relatives -- a surviving spouse and sometimes children or grandchildren -- have the right to claim an

inheritance, and in some cases this can override what it says in your will. Here's how it works:

A Spouse's Right to Inherit

In most circumstances, a surviving spouse cannot be completely cut out of a will.

Community property states

The community property states (Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas,
Washington,Wisconsin, and Alaska -- if spouses sign an agreement creating community property) have their own
rules about what spouses own and can claim. Basically, each spouse automatically owns half of what either one
earned during the marriage, unless they have a written agreement to the contrary. Each spouse can do whatever he
or she likes with his or her own half-share of the community property and with his or her separate property. (For

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