[Vvector]

There was no will, no spouse, no children.

"He died at 59, single and childless, with no will and no guidance on who should inherit his assets."

[scotty79]

Ok, in case when there's no will there's path of inheritance defined by law. It's still the best way to go forward.

Parents, siblings, siblings children.

[Vvector]

My understanding is that beneficiary trumps a will, and definitely trumps the default when there is no will.

What would be the point of a beneficiary if it gets ignored even without a will?

[scotty79]

I think beneficiary trumps everything. But we are talking about what you could do with the money if you were (undeserving) beneficiary. Giving it back to the dead person (precisely donating it to their estate) is the right thing to do although probably imperfect because donations are often taxed.