A more thorough explanation:

Definition: Per stirpes is a Latin phrase that means “by roots” or “by branch.” This phrase often appears in the context of wills and retirement accounts to define how your assets should be passed down in the event a beneficiary passes away before you do.

For example, let's say you have three children named A, B, and C. You want to leave your estate to them equally, but you also want to make sure that if one of them dies before you, their share goes to their children. If you set up your estate to be distributed “per stirpes” and child B dies before you, then each named, living beneficiary (A and C) would receive their original portion of your estate. Child B's children would split that portion of the inheritance equally. Therefore, with a per stirpes designation, any amount that you leave for a beneficiary who dies before you will be passed down evenly to their heirs.

Another example could be if you have four grandchildren named X, Y, Z, and W. You want to leave your estate to them equally, but you also want to make sure that if one of them dies before you, their share goes to their siblings. If you set up your estate to be distributed “per stirpes” and grandchild Y dies before you, then each named, living beneficiary (X, Z, and W) would receive their original portion of your estate. Grandchild Y's siblings (if any) would split that portion of the inheritance equally.

Overall, per stirpes ensures that your assets are distributed fairly among your beneficiaries and their heirs, even if one of them passes away before you.