Estate planning should not be kept between you and your attorney. By ignoring the most important part of estate planning, you can cause nasty family feuds later down the road. After all, what good is your well-thought out estate plan if your children, spouse and other family members spend all of their time fighting it out in court later on?
The Risks with Not Talking
When you don’t discuss your estate plan with the family, you leave the plan open for litigation. Money and asset matters are highly sensitive, especially for those who find out after death that they are not receiving any. Therefore, when you meet with your estate planning attorney make sure you have already run by your plan with the family members included and not included in the Will.
Use Mediation if Necessary
If you feel that some family members will contest the decisions in court no matter what, you need to protect all of the work from your estate planning. Use an attorney or third party mediator to discuss your estate planning documents with family member and have it documented. That way no one can contest decisions made in your Will later down the road.
Learn more about estate planning and talking to family at one of our Free Seminars.
Stephen Unsworth
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