Nothing like the $$$$ of a large estate to tear a family apart.
The person doesn’t have to even be dead before they start
circling like vultures.
I tell anyone with any assets of significance to put
what they wish to leave to people in trusts held for
those particular people and to be very specific about
who gets how much, what and why. And to make a
recording of them reading these decisions. Such declarations
are about as ironclad as our current capricious judiciary
system allows.
Using a will is sometimes worse than no will.
Intestate laws for estates with no will are pretty
much law and not subject to much fighting.
Wills on the other hand are like prenups....they are
constantly being ignored and altered by judges with
agendas. Wills can easily dissipate 50% or more of an
estates assets if ANYONE contests in any way.
If the fighting goes on long enough the entire estate and
more can be spent on legal fees and court costs.
Contested wills are big business for greedy shysters and
their evil comrades on the bench.....every bit as lucrative
as the contested divorce industry that allows so many soul
less lawyers to live like robber barons.
Trusts are not ‘all that’ either. We have been in court going on 3 yrs now about one.
Once father in law started getting dementia hubby’s sister took FIL down and had him change the trust putting her in charge of everything. She then had him declared incompetent and stole every dime. We got her last accounting the other day. Over $700 thousand dollars and she says that the estate is broke except for a $150k house and when that is sold the estate owes her $7200. In 2 1/2 years.