Heir Hunters Association
Australia : New Zealand : Asia
Intestate & Heir Estate Beneficiary Tracing
Independent, Unbiased advice and information for Heir Hunters, Researchers and Beneficiaries alike
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Heir Hunters Association Australia : New Zealand : Asia Intestate & Heir Estate Beneficiary Tracing |
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Independent, Unbiased advice and information for Heir Hunters, Researchers and Beneficiaries alike
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Who wants to be an Heir Hunter anyway?
by Maurice S Clarke
In recent years there has been a great upsurge in people's interest in Geneaology, the tracing of a persons family history back through the ages.
Descendency, the tracing of your current relatives is a further stage of a genealogical pursuit which traces living blood relatives around the world to whom you are related to via hereditary. Chances are you know few if any of these relations and those you do you are unlikely to have ever met, or know where they live.
TV programs have added to the interest and enthusiasm as has the growth of web based online research and information sites, especially as more public records come online.
A new breed of person has also been born an "Heir Hunter" a person or firm who searches and locates living descendants of a deceased person. In some cases that person has died having made a will or not, either way their beneficiaries are unknown or cannot be located.
Many people get excited that perhaps they are inline for a secret fortune left to them under a will, or the terms of intestacy if their relative died without laying out who will inherit their assets.
In truth millions, indeed billions worldwide lies in trust waiting for a claimant to come forward and stake a claim to the money. After usually 12 years the money passes to the state and indeed many estates stay unclaimed for the whole term.
Even estates that are claimed are insured when a payout occurs in case a later valid claim adds to the number of current beneficiaries, or even has priority over them. Clearly beneficiaries will have spent their inheritance so insurers pick up the tab for any new payout which could, potentially at least be an entire estate worth hundreds of thousands.
Heir Hunting is big business and interest is growing in a number of areas:
People are interested in being Heir Hunters as a part time interest or full time career.
Beneficiaries who have been approached by a Heir Hunter and are unsure of their rights and what to do next.
Plus people who just want to check out their family tree and see who might have died without making a will, leaving them to pick up a big cash windfall.
Many Heir Hunters are viewed with suspicion and distrust, and many beneficiaries found by Heir Hunters find it hard to believe they are in line for a possible payout. Much of the good news remains a mystery as many variables play a role in each estate. How many beneficiaries entitled to a windfall can range from one to hundreds. Payouts can be a few thousand or hundreds of thousands, even millions on rare occasions.
Heir Hunting to many seems a fascinating and potentially rewarding interest, and a specialist Heir Hunters Association has recently been set up as a unique independent body designed to create greater awareness of the role and importance of Heir Hunters in modern society on an international basis.
Maurice Clarke is founder of the www.heirhunters-association.org.uk
More articles by Maurice and other expert authors
Copyright © 2009 - 2011 Maurice S Clarke and heirhunters-association.org.uk
This article may be freely copied for use on web sites, newsletters and ezines provide it remains intact with the appropriate links and copyright attached.
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