Per Stirpes.

In plain English

Per stirpes is a Latin phrase (it means "by the branch") used in wills, trusts, and beneficiary forms to say how an inheritance flows down a family tree. If you leave money per stirpes to your three children and one of them dies before you, that child's share does not get split among the surviving two. Instead it drops down to that deceased child's own children, who split their parent's portion. The alternative wording, per capita, would instead redivide everything equally among only the people still living. How these terms are interpreted is governed by state law, so the exact effect can vary and a licensed estate attorney should confirm the wording does what you intend.

01Why it matters

Picking the wrong word on a one-page beneficiary form can accidentally cut your own grandchildren out of an inheritance, and nobody catches it until after you are gone.

02The math, step by step

Say you have three kids and leave your estate to them per stirpes. One child dies before you, leaving two children of their own. Your estate splits into three branches: each living child gets one-third, and the two grandchildren split the deceased child's one-third, so each grandchild receives one-sixth. If you had written per capita among living descendants instead, the two surviving children and two grandchildren might each get one-quarter, and your grandchildren's share would depend entirely on how your state reads the language.

03What this is NOT

04Receipts

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