Houston Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney Blog
Although the vast majority of estates aren't contested, the more money that is at stake, the more incentive a family member has to try to get some of it.
Certain family issues in the United Staes are unique to our country. However, some people tend to have the same behaviors and problems everywhere in the world.
One example is the tendency of people to fight over a wealthy estate. Whenever there is enough money involved in an estate to make it worth fighting over, people who are not happy with a distribution plan tend to fight anywhere in the world.
A recent article in The New Zealand Herald, titled"Families at war: When wills go sour," tells accounts of three current disputes over wealthy estates that have families fighting with each other.
While the details of the disputes make for interesting reading, there are more important lessons to be learned from the article. The key take away is that in New Zealand the likelihood that these disputes will arise can be lessened through proper estate planning.
The same thing is true in the United States.
Families will often fight over wealthy estates, but the likelihood of that happening can be lessened with proper estate planning. It is impossible to make the chance of family dispute zero percent, however. If you do not want your family to fight over your estate, then you should see an estate planning attorney to lessen the probability that they will and communicate your intentions to your loved ones in advance.
Reference: The New Zealand Herald (October 17, 2014) "Families at war: When wills go sour"