Welcome back to the second installment in how to avoid causing family fights over your estate plan. No one wants to think that their family would fight over the decisions they made when they created a will, but it does happen, and it could happen to your family. Avoid the tension, stress and fighting by taking steps to ensure that your estate plan and will won’t cause any strife when you are gone. Our estate lawyer in Cary NC is here to offer a few more tips.
Avoiding Disputes | Estate Lawyer Cary NC
We mentioned sharing your will with your family in the last post so that there will be no surprise when they learn how you want your assets to be distributed. This will allow family to ask questions about why you made those choices. In most cases they will understand your wishes and honor them. Communication is key in preventing unwanted fights among your family members. One of the reasons you may have created an estate plan is to make sure your family is taken care of, so letting them know how you plan to do so can give them peace of mind as well.
Letting your family know who you have chosen as executor of the estate may be another thing you want to communicate to them in order to avoid problems. If you chose an executor of your estate that is a family member, it may cause some tension among other family members who think he or she may not do a good job, or feels that he or she should have been chosen. Again, letting your family know who you chose and why you made that choice can ease tension later on.
You may also want to encourage your chosen executor to communicate with the family regularly so they will be up to date on what is happening. You can also choose someone outside of the family in order to avoid any tension. If someone who is not emotionally tied to the situation is in control, family members can feel confident that he or she will do the job without bias.
Don’t forget to keep your estate plan up to date. When major life changes occur, such as a birth, death, marriage or divorce, make the appropriate changes to your will so that your wishes are current. You can also let your family members know of the changes if they are significant enough to impact what you previously told them. Again, having surprises on your will that your family does not understand can cause tension and fights that can be prevented if you communicate your choices. An estate lawyer in Cary NC can help you keep things updated.
When updating your will, also remember to update separate policies such as life insurance or retirement funds. The names listed on those documents can override anything written in your will, so make sure everything matches up according to what you want.
While you may want to be open about the contents of your estate plan, you should do so after you have made your own choices so that you are not influenced. If you work with an estate lawyer in Cary NC, he or she can offer unbiased guidance and support and give you the information and tools you need to create an estate plan that meets your needs.
Estate Lawyer in Cary NC
Eldreth Law Firm are here to help you with estate planning. Our estate lawyer in Cary NC can help you with all your documents and other factors that make up a valid will and estate plan. Contact us to make an appointment.
