Everyone has good intentions when putting together their will or trust. You may want to ensure your children’s education is funded, your spouse can live comfortably and your friend has a nice summer home. You may put away something special and meaningful for everyone in your life.
Only, you may not realize that someone in your family is going to fight tooth and nail to get every penny they can get. Why do so many families end up in fights over their loved ones’ estates? Here ae three big reasons:
They believe they are owed more than they are given
One of the most obvious reasons for someone to fight over a will or trust is greed. A friend or family may have in their head that they should have inherited more, if not all, of your estate. This could be because they want to live comfortably or want everything to be petty.
Some people may simply believe what they inherited wasn’t fair. Not everyone sees the same value in a given inheritance. It can be hard to judge what is fair to give away in a will or trust.
They want something specific that they didn’t get
There might be someone in your life with whom you spent a precious moment. They may remember this by a specific object or keepsake. This person may want something related to that event to remember you after your death. It’s heartwarming to know someone wants to cherish a moment, but it can tear a family apart when an heir doesn’t get an item they feel entitled to receive.
They don’t believe someone else deserves anything
Everyone has a little bit of family drama. Some families have it worse and might go so far as to disown their family. If you happened to put them in your will or trust then their appearance might cause an upset. Others might just be jealous of someone else’s inheritance and believe they shouldn’t have gotten anything at all.
It takes a lot of energy to decide what will be best for your family after you pass on. Guidance from someone with legal experience in estate planning may give you the help you need to ease your family’s grief after your death.