In a Will, your "estate" generally means everything you own — not just real estate. It can include things like money in the bank, real estate, vehicles, investments, and personal belongings.
Your residuary estate is what remains of your estate after debts, expenses, and any specific gifts have been handled — it's the "everything else" that passes to the beneficiaries you've named on the 'Divide your residuary estate' page.
Not everything you own necessarily passes through a Will, though. Certain assets — such as jointly owned property with a right of survivorship, retirement accounts, life insurance, Pay-on-Death or Transfer-on-Death accounts, and assets held in a trust — can pass directly to someone else outside a Will, depending on how they're owned or set up. Where that's the case, they generally don't form part of what a Will distributes. See What are beneficiary designations? for more on how some of these work.
In some states, spousal rights can also affect how an estate is divided — our article on what the law says about leaving out a spouse explains more.
If you'd like advice about what would form part of your residuary estate, you may wish to speak with an estate planning attorney in your state.
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