The PennZone

NEW YORK - PennZone -- Upon reviewing a Will following the passing of a family member often there are disagreements among families. They begin to argue and question the wishes and intentions of their deceased parent or family member believing they simply could not have intended to do what they did.

If you have made decisions about how to treat your family and friends, letting them know ahead of time provides an opportunity to digest the information but beware, this could invite them to try to convince you to changes, resulting in an uncomfortable situation or worse, lasting family feuds.

Depending on your family relationships, you may wish to choose one of your children to act as the trustee, personal representative/executor, and agent. Actions such as appointing people to certain roles, especially if you choose a corporate fiduciary instead of a family member, could upset (or sometimes relieve) others if and when they find out.

More on The PennZone

• Allstream Energy Partners, SEO Experts in Oil and Gas, Awarded Gas Processing OEM Agreement
• Growth Story Expands: $54.6M Contract, $30M Revenue Run Rate, 800+ Customers, 50+ Patents & New AI Cybersecurity Products for Cycurion, Inc $CYCU
• Sky Quarry Restarts Nevada's Only Crude Oil Refinery — A Major New Chapter Begins in This Highly Lucrative sector for N A S D A Q: SKYQ
• Nutriband Inc. (N A S D A Q: NTRB) Breaks Into Uncharted Territory: 52-Week High Eclipsed as Shares Surge 22% —AVERSA™ Puts Investors on High Alert
• Jacqui Condon Selected to Workers' Compensation Panels for Three Professional Athlete Associations

Though some prefer to leave a note, letter, or even a video for their intended beneficiaries and family members to explain why they designed their estate plan a certain way. However, we strongly urge you to consult with an attorney before preparing something like that, as such writings, videos, and voice recordings are admissible as evidence (including any rough drafts, or deleted outtakes). Additionally, one-on-one meetings about your estate plan with family members often present their own problems from an evidentiary standpoint in a litigated estate.

If you believe your estate plan will cause World War III among your family members, we recommend you consult with an experienced estate attorney to coordinate an "all hands on deck" family meeting, with witnesses and that attorney present, to discuss your estate plan and set expectations. This way, everyone could hear the same information, at the same time, in front of objective observers with "no skin in the game." By choosing to share your estate plan now, you can get those discussions out of the way and keep everyone on the same page, whether they like it or not.

More on The PennZone

• New Metallized PE Film from Pregis Brings Recyclability to High-Barrier Food Packaging at Pack Expo International in Chicago
• Transformational $104 Million Musculoskeletal Healthcare Opportunity as Expansion Strategy Accelerates for Cardiff Lexington Corp (Stock Symbol: CDIX)
• Affordable Braces in Allentown Made Accessible Through Exeter Smiles' Flexible Payment Options
• PropAccount.com Launches Marketing Hub Within PropGenie, Giving Prop Firm Operators an Automated Marketing Team
• Save 15 Percent Off Florida Keys Accommodations with KeysCaribbean's Advance Purchase Rate Discount

Even for those with a straightforward estate plan where family members are one cohesive group, it can still be a good idea to get together with family, as a group to review and discuss their estate planning documents in one sitting. We recommend this for many of our clients who have a Trustate Toolkit. Setting up such a meeting provides a chance to share your estate plan with all of the primary participants, and to clear the air and assure everyone in the meeting that this really is what you want.