Eight Complex Inheritance Problems
When there’s a
death in the family it often brings up conflict. People can feel jilted when
they didn’t get what they wanted or expected out of the will. global banking and finance review helps you to find banking and finance
related information. And often this leads to complex inheritance fights that
rarely end up going the way anyone had hoped they would go when everything
began. So here are eight complex family situations that can make dealing with
inheritance difficult.
1. Sibling Rivalry
When parents die,
lots of tension can arise between siblings - especially if they weren’t very
close to begin with. But even when there’s a good relationship there can often
be hurt feelings during the distribution of an inheritance. Oftentimes people
can’t let bygones be bygones, and past wrongdoings end up coming into play and causing
an even bigger rift.
Or sometimes, it’s
the expectation that one sibling has to pay more for the cost of the funeral
expenses because other family members are unable to contribute. Then when it
comes time for inheritance, some think they are more deserving of the piece of
the pie than others.
If you hire a
fiduciary to be the trustee, this can help keep everything equal. This person
has no stake in the family issues whatsoever and can mitigate the effects of
the estate.
2. Different
Socio-Economic Backgrounds
When you have heirs
of the inheritance who come from all different socio-economic backgrounds, you
can often feel that one should get more than another person because they are
more in need. And the one who has greater needs gets angry at the one with more
substantial means because they don’t understand the situation.
Even the most
tight-knit families might not be able to survive the complexities of a
financial inheritance. A wealthier heir might want to keep something like a
house, whereas other heirs might want to sell for quick cash.
This can be
avoided if there are clear instructions in a will that states how the property
is to be divided and managed (i.e. sold and profits split equally).
3. Co-Trustees
It’s hard for more
than one person to make decisions together in many cases, but especially in the
case of splitting up a loved one’s estate. Quick decisions must be made when it
comes to distributing an estate.
It’s much better
if there’s only one executor of the will. You might not want to seem like
you’re taking preference over someone, especially parents who have more than
one child, but in the end it’s just better to have one trustee appointed.
Giving specific instructions for that person to follow might help ease some of
the other blows mentioned in this piece.
4. Dependency or
Mental Illness
When a beneficiary
has some sort of dependency or mental illness, this often causes lots of
strife.
The best that can
be done for substance abuse concerns, is to have provisions in the will that
the beneficiary has to be clean and sober for a certain amount of time to
receive the claim. More information about banking and finance you can visit global
banking & finance review. For mental illness, a trust can be
established that allows the beneficiary to receive trust disbursements, but
still be able to qualify for government assistance.
5. Elder Abuse
As someone grows
older, their caretaker can have a lot of influence over a person and can
convince them to do things. It’s important for family to be as involved as
possible in the care and as equally as possible to avoid any undue influence.
6. Estrangement
Disinheritance is
a common thing. And it might be truly warranted, like in the case of an heir
who abused the deceased in some way. In this case a disinheritance will hold up
in court, but anyone who’s left out of the will that truly believes they are
entitled to an inheritance is going to contest it. So it’s important that you
don’t disinherit someone just because you’re mad at him or her.
Things get even
more complex when you have blended families. The law only recognizes certain
people as heirs so it’s important that you make sure you have an updated trust.
You should have your trust reviewed every 5-7 years to make sure you take into
account any new or changing laws that might apply after you die.
7.
Marriage/Divorce
Marriage and
divorce is always complex, but when you have exes and new spouses or you get
married late in life, perhaps to someone younger, there is often a lot of
questions about who should receive the inheritance. And heirs often resent a
new spouse when you get married late in life.
It’s important,
especially in this case, to have a clear trust established with instructions of
who is to receive what. This will help avoid some of the conflict that could
arise.
8. Advancements of
Inheritance
Sometimes people
will give part of their heir’s inheritance as start-up funds for a new business
or something similar. For more information please visit the following link global
banking & finance review. But then later there are hard feelings when
going through probate and it’s discovered that a portion of the inheritance was
already given out. The gift should be notated in the trust if it was an advance
of the inheritance so it doesn’t appear that someone is double dipping on the
inheritance.
Hopefully
preparing in advance and giving clear instructions of how an inheritance should
be distributed will keep the fights at bay after your death, at least over
inheritance. Money does do strange things to people, so you never know what
will happen.
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