If a person dies without a valid estate plan, any assets owned in the individual's name and without a beneficiary designation or other governing contract will be distributed according to the state’s intestacy laws, typically through a court-supervised probate proceeding, which is public record.

In many states, if a person is married and has children, the spouse and children will each receive a share, even if the children are from a prior marriage or are no longer minors. That means the spouse could receive only a fraction of the estate, which may not be enough to live on. If there are minor children, the court will control their inheritance. If both parents die (accident. fire, etc.), the court will appoint a guardian without knowing who the parents would have chosen.  Is this what you would want?