Who receives personal property named in a will?

A legatee is a person or entity that receives personal property specifically bequeathed to them in a will. This term applies to personal items such as money, jewelry, or other possessions, highlighting the distinction between real property (land and buildings) and personal property. The will serves as a legal document outlining the decedent's wishes regarding the distribution of their assets, and the legatee is identified in the will as the recipient of these specific gifts.

In this context, while the terms benefactor, heir, and agent have distinct meanings in estate planning, they do not precisely describe the recipient of personal property as clearly as "legatee" does. An heir typically refers to someone who stands to inherit under the laws of intestacy, often family members, while a benefactor may refer to someone making a gift but is not a legal term for someone receiving property in a will. An agent might represent someone in legal matters but does not inherit property directly. Thus, the term legatee specifically points to the individual receiving personal property named in a will, confirming its correctness in this context.