Ask-A-Lawyer

Q. If I inherit $50,000 from a family member and place the money in an investment account that my spouse and I set up five years ago, is the inheritance still mine or does it become marital property?

A. You have commingled your inheritance with a marital asset. By voluntarily placing the money into a marital account, you are making a gift to the marriage and the inheritance becomes marital property.

Judge Jerelyn D. Maher, Tremont, IL