Susan B. Garland, in her New York Times article, discusses the potential consequences that estate planning with unequal inheritances can have for familial relationships. Her article, “The Unequal Inheritance: It Can Work, or It Can ‘Destroy Relationships,’” includes the following commentary:
Liza Hanks, an estate planning lawyer in Mountain View, Calif., said she asked clients to consider what was “fair.” For some, that means leaving the same asset amounts to everyone. Others want to leave more to a child with a disability. Or a parent may be wary about giving a spendthrift son the same as his responsible sister, she said…
But unequal inheritances can trigger sibling fighting after a parent dies. Some feuds end up in court, especially if an adult child suspects a parent was the target of what lawyers consider to be “undue influence” by the brother or sister who benefited most.
To see the full article, click: “The Unequal Inheritance: It Can Work, or It Can ‘Destroy Relationships'”
Posted by Elise Kim, Managing Associate Editor, Wealth Strategies Journal.
