When you have more than one child, you may need to take extra care when creating your Delaware estate plan to make sure you do not ruffle feathers or cause unnecessary strife between or among your children. Many inheritance battles result from adult children feeling as if they did not receive everything they expected or deserve. However, there are certain things you might do to lower the chances of your estate plan creating conflicts within your family.
According to AARP, doing the following may cut the chances of inheritance battles arising between or among your sons or daughters.
Leaving the kids equal amounts
Unless you have a really good reason for leaving your adult children different amounts, try not to do so, as this is a surefire way to cause ire. If you have a child who is less financially responsible than the others, give some thought to leaving that son or daughter assets in a trust. That way, the trustee may distribute them on a conditional basis in line with your wishes.
Giving the kids an idea of what they might get
You do not know how much you may have to pay for assisted living or related expenses, so you may not know how much you have to leave behind for your beneficiaries. However, if possible, consider giving your kids at least a vague idea of what they might inherit to bring them back down to reality and keep everyone on the same page.
Inheritance battles have the potential to cost your loved ones quite a bit of time and money. However, what is even worse is they may do permanent damage to the relationships your children currently share.