• Skip to navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

AAEPA, Inc

Find a Member Member's Login
Call Today (800) 846-1555
  • Membership
    • Membership Membership
    • submenu
      • Why Join?
      • Member Requirements
      • Become A Member
      • Meet the Team
  • Estate planning software
  • Education
  • Practice management
    • Practice management Practice Management
    • submenu
      • 11 Essential Systems
      • Coaching
      • Law Firm Marketing
  • Resources
    • Resources Resources
    • submenu
      • Live Training
      • Blog
  • Contact Us

The Importance of Communicating Your Plans

Home » referrals » The Importance of Communicating Your Plans

Whether or not we plan to do so, each of us will face death eventually. However, by planning we can make our passing easier and better in many ways for those we leave behind.

The first article in the series demonstrated how you could gain privacy from the public by planning and using a trust rather than going through the public probate process.

The second article in the series focused on how you can make the transition better through the manner in which you leave your assets to your loved ones.

This third article in the series focuses on the importance of communicating your plans to your family to avoid problems after your death.

Death is seldom easy for those left behind. But, it’s even more problematic when inheritances don’t go as expected. Here’s a common situation. A parent, Mary, has three children, Bob, John, and Victoria. Bob and John have lucrative careers, while Victoria is an elementary school teacher. Mary decides to leave all her assets to Victoria because Victoria has greater need. Mary dies without disclosing her plans to her children. When Bob and John discover they’ve been disinherited, they feel hurt. They thought they had good relationships with their mother. So, they begin to look for reasons for this turn of events.

Typically, suspicion falls on the child receiving the inheritance. Bob and John think Victoria must have used undue influence or coerced their mother to leave all her assets to Victoria. So, Bob and John accuse Victoria of exerting undue influence and contest Mary’s plan, tearing the family apart in the process. By the time the controversy is finished, Bob, John, and Victoria have frayed relationships and have spent most of their inheritance fighting each other.

All of this could have been avoided if Mary had simply disclosed her plans to her children. If Mary had done that, Bob and John would have known Mary still cared greatly for each of them, but simply felt Victoria had greater need. Bob and John would have had an opportunity to ask Mary any questions they had. But, without a disclosure, Bob and John were left thinking the worst.

If you really care about your family and want to help preserve family harmony, communicate your plans to your family. This is especially important if there are any surprises in your plans. Surprises could be: your estate will be divided in unequal shares, your estate is larger than expected, your estate is smaller than expected, shares are being left in trust, etc. Sharing your plans is the loving thing to do, especially if you are planning a disposition that might be unexpected.

The next article in the series will examine how to leave an unequal distribution with a lower risk of triggering a challenge to your plan.

Stephen C. Hartnett, J.D., LL.M.
Director of Education
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
9444 Balboa Avenue, Suite 300
San Diego, California 92123
Phone: (858) 453-2128
www.aaepa.com

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Steve Hartnett
Steve Hartnett
Director of Education, American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys
Steve Hartnett
Latest posts by Steve Hartnett (see all)
  • Double Your Gifting with Spousal Gift-Splitting - January 11, 2022
  • Tax Planning for 2022 - December 28, 2021
  • Donor Advised Funds: Too Good to Be True? - August 10, 2021
SHARE

About Steve Hartnett

Director of Education, American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our blog

Recent Posts

  • Aging Parents and Estate Planning
  • How Do I Title Thee…Part I
  • Turning Stalled Out Goals into Actions
  • What Makes a Will or Trust Invalid
  • Ultimate Social Media Cheat Sheet: Character Limits & Best Days/Times to Post

Categories

  • Academy Girl Friday (33)
  • Client Services (238)
  • Coaching (33)
  • Consumer Advantage (3)
  • Counseling (21)
  • Elder Law (5)
  • Estate Planning (920)
  • Estate Planning Documents (5)
  • Estate Planning Education (199)
  • Financial Analysis (3)
  • Financial Services (1)
  • General (19)
  • Law Firm Marketing (281)
  • Law Firm Net Revenue (7)
  • Law Firm Staffing (99)
  • Law Firm Technology (45)
  • Law Firm Web Tips (185)
  • Leadership (191)
  • Legal Education (645)
  • Marketing Tools (2)
  • Medicaid (1)
  • Member Services (1)
  • Owners Compensation (1)
  • Peak Performer Focus (1)
  • Practice Building Calls (1)
  • Practice Management (496)
  • SEO/Social Media Support (3)
  • Software (6)
  • Strategic Planning (9)
  • Uncategorized (15)

Footer

logo of American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

About Us

  • Meet the Team
  • Site Map
  • Legal Notice
  • Privacy Policy

Explore Our Services

  • Coaching
  • Estate planning software
  • Events
  • Legal education
  • Marketing
  • Web and SEO

Keep in Touch

Mon-Fri

9444 Balboa Ave. Suite 300

San Diego

(800) 846-1555

info@aaepa.com

Take Back Control of Your Business and Your Life

+

footer section | American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

© 2022 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc All rights reserved.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Don't sell my personal information.
Cookie Settings Accept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
Save & Accept