Take these steps to avoid an inheritance dispute

On Behalf of | Jun 27, 2017 | blog, Probate Litigation

The last thing anyone wants to see happen after your death is an inheritance dispute. You want to leave behind something for your beneficiaries, and having them fight among themselves is not your idea of how your family should treat one another.

There are a couple things you can do to help your family avoid disputes. With the help of your attorney, you can make sure there’s as little risk of a dispute as possible, so your family can receive what you wanted to gift to them and focus more on their emotional healing.

1. Get an iron-clad will

While you’re in the mind to do so, it’s a good idea to create a will that is not in any way debatable. The first thing to do is to make sure you create a valid will. After that, you’ll want to include your age, testamentary capacity to show you were of sound mind and body when you created the will, and to show voluntariness, which is a lack of coercion.

After this, you need to list all your assets and assign them to the heirs you have. The will should be written in such a way that the language is clear to understand. Finally, sign and date the document. You’ll need a witness document included as well to show that someone else was there to watch you sign the document.

2. Create a living will

When you have a living will, it provides a number of instructions to your family. It talks about things like the care you want to receive if you are incapacitated and helps you appoint a durable power of attorney, or a person who makes decisions on your behalf if you are unable to.

Since you have to designate these people and your wishes while you’re alive and of sound mind, it’s much easier to show exactly what you want and to enforce those wishes after death.

Choosing the right will now can help your family later. Your attorney can create a document that helps you secure your wishes.

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