When my mom passed, the grief was only the beginning.

The real nightmare started when I realized there was no will — and her husband, my stepfather, had no legal obligation to share anything with me.

No one prepares you for this. Not your family, not Google, not the lawyers who charge $300/hr just to tell you "it's complicated."

Here's what I learned the hard way:

1. Intestate succession laws vary by state — and most of them don't favor stepchildren at all. You need to know YOUR state's rules immediately.

2. There are strict filing deadlines. Miss them and you lose your rights permanently. In some states you have as little as 30 days to contest.

3. The person living in the property has leverage — but that doesn't mean they have the legal right. There's a process to challenge occupancy.

4. You don't always need a $10K lawyer. Many of the early steps — filing for letters of administration, requesting estate inventories, challenging informal transfers — can be done yourself if you know what to file.

I built The Inheritance Playbook because no one should have to piece this together while grieving. It's the step-by-step guide I wish I had.

If you're going through this right now, you're not alone.