Can you leave things in your will to someone other than your wife? I assume you can't violate the dower act, but can you leave half your money to a third party. Or do you have to setup a life estate for your wife where she keeps the house until she dies and then half the proceeds are distributed as per your guidelines.
I am thinking of a childless couple where one spouse dies. I think the default position is that everything goes to the survivor and the survivor can distribute everything in their will as they see fit. So the end result of my rambling is: Can a will overcome the wishes of the surviving spouse?
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