Do These Four Things If You Don'T Want Your Loved Ones To Fight Over Your Will
Just because you have a legally binding will, it doesn't mean that nobody will challenge it. There are various reasons one would challenge a will. For example, some of your heirs may challenge if they are dissatisfied by their inheritance. Others may do so if they believe you shouldn't have included some of the beneficiaries. Take these precautions to minimize the risk of such challenges:
Mention Those Who You Disinherit
It's not enough to designate your beneficiaries; it's also important to list those whom you don't want to inherit your estate. You don't need to list everybody you know; mention only the "interested persons" who are legally allowed to challenge your will.
For example, your children are some of the people who can inherit your estate without a will, and they can also challenge your will. Therefore, if you don't want a child to inherit from you, put your wishes down in your will, so it is clear to everyone. Don't forget that you cannot disinherit everybody. For example, most states don't allow people to disinherit their spouses.
Don't Explain Your Reasons
A good will is concise. The more words you use, the higher the likelihood that there may be confusion as to their meaning, which raises the possibility of someone challenging them. That's why it's advisable not to explain why you are disinheriting someone; it is easy for the person (or other interested parties) to disagree with your reasoning and challenge it. Consider an example where you have disinherited a child for not taking care of you as well as you would have wished. The child or other parties (such as your spouse) may disagree and mount a challenge for the will.
Let Them Know You Have a Will
Sometimes loved ones challenge wills because they don't believe they are genuine. To preempt such problems, let your loved ones know about your will as soon as you write it. You don't have to discuss the contents of the will your loved ones; just let them know that you have planned for your estate's distribution after your demise. It is easy for a loved one to claim that your will is a forgery if nobody (or only one person) knew about its existence
Update Your Will
You can also prevent a lot of controversy by updating your will. Otherwise, other people may argue that your wishes had greatly changed by the time of your demise. For example, if you divorce your spouse, but fail to update your will, other beneficiaries may challenge your former spouse's share of the estate.
Hopefully, the precautions above will help you keep the peace among your loved ones even after your demise. Convey your wishes to your estate planning attorney to help you with more ways of preventing challenges to your will.
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