✩ Save Your Family From an Ugly Estate Dispute: Advance Planning is the Key
Posted: November 15th, 2003 by Adam R. GaslowitzWhat single event can do more damage to family harmony than a nasty divorce? A will contest or estate dispute can be one of the worst legal, emotional and financial nightmares that a family encounters. When someone in a family contests the validity of a loved one’s will, what inevitably follows is a protracted litigation, as well as an emotional toll that can tear a family apart. Estate disputes often last many years, and usually no one wins except the lawyers. But with some advance planning and family communication, the potential for a bitter legal battle often can be avoided or at least minimized.
Open communication with your children and clarity about the decisions you are making about your estate are some of the keys to avoiding a future dispute. Most parents tend to keep their finances and estate plans a secret from their children. However, if your family understands your decisions and why you are making them, they may be less likely to argue about them once you are gone. Questions and conflicts that might arise later are easier to plan around if acknowledged and addressed upfront. In addition, certain basic estate planning tools can be used to head off many of the typical problems that lead to litigation.
In my practice I have noticed certain specific situations that frequently cause conflict after the death of a parent or loved one.
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✩ The Looming Crisis in Estate Disputes: Beware the Title Wave
Posted: November 1st, 2003 by Adam R. GaslowitzNorth Fulton Living Magazine and Cobb Living Magazine - November, 2003
Get ready baby boomers. Over the next few decades you will inherit trillions of dollars — $10.4 trillion to be precise, according to a 1993 Cornell University study. As Depression-era investors pass away, their children stand to benefit from an “inheritance boom” that reflects the fact that more than half of all wealth in the United States is held by people over the age of 55 — 37% of the population.
| Related News | Articles & Publications, Firm News, Probate and Estate Disputes, Will and Estate Disputes |
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