“If I’d known my children would stop speaking due to the stuff I left behind, I would have burned every last bit of it to the ground!”
Children really do stop talking due to disputes over their parents possessions. It’s unacceptable, and the best way you can stop it is by have a properly drafted estate plan in place.
What is the most precious gift you can leave your children? A will!
It’s amazing how many siblings and other relatives fight over the stuff that’s left behind. Sometimes, it can be a precious family heirloom (maybe even without value) that can trigger the battle. But often it’s just stuff.
Whatever might cause a rift between your relatives, there is one very easy and simple way to stop it from ever happening and that is to draft a will. In your will, you tell your relatives who gets what and who gets to decide if there is a dispute.
Also, a will simplifies taking care of your estate upon your death. In other words, it will be a lot less expensive and cumbersome for your relatives if you leave a proper will behind.
I have no idea who to leave what, so I just keep avoiding the process altogether.
Nobody said you had to decide who gets what. You just tell your beneficiaries how it will be decided. Maybe your Executor will decide. Maybe you can use a lottery system. Maybe all your kids can each pick one item at a time. The possibilities are endless, and with a properly drafted estate plan, you can pick a fair method for your belongings to be divided.
I can go online and draft my own estate plan cheaper. Why should I pay more for your flat rate estate plan?
No offense, but you might mess it up. Even if you do your end perfectly, most of those programs are not drafted and reviewed by a licensed Texas attorney. All estate planning documents from The Haw Law Firm are both drafted and reviewed by a licensed attorney.