Home >
Home And Family >
Marriage
By Diana Mercer, Attorney-Mediator, Peace Talks Mediation Services, Inc., http://www.peace-talks.com/estate.php
You've probably heard about mediation for divorces, neighbor disputes, and Mid-East Peace Talks, but the applications for mediation are wider than ever.
More and more couples are using mediation prepatation for their estate planning needs. http://www.peace-talks.com/estate.php Sometimes that's because they're a blended family, a second marriage with children from previous relationships, and they want to make sure that all of the children and step-children are treated fairly. Or, perhaps they have a child with special needs yet other children who are self supporting. Maybe one spouse has a big inheritance from his or her family and wants to direct how the inheritance money is passed on but the other spouse doesn't agree. Sometimes parents don't see eye to eye on how they should leave their estate to their children: equal shares? According to need? Leave it to charity instead of their children?
All of these scenarios present opportunity for conflict between the couple, parents, children, siblings, grandchildren, step-children and other interested parties.
You've worked hard to build, preserve and maintain your assets. You want your children and other relatives to enjoy a peaceful legacy when you're gone. You also want to decide what happens, and not leave it to the government to decide how your estate will be distributed. But without a solid estate plan, your beneficiaries could "inherit" court battles between relatives and thousands of dollars of estate taxes. http://www.peace-talks.com/cost.php
It's tempting to avoid this kind of potential conflict. Nobody wants to talk about dying, especially when you're talking about your own death. Nobody wants to talk about how money and estate disputes can create rifts within families. But by meeting these challenges head on, you can create your estate plan, have meaningful discussions with your family about your wishes and you can create your own individually-crafted legacy. http://www.peace-talks.com/estfaqs.php
Want to talk about estate planning and mediation with others who are planning their estates, too? Visit the Estate Planning and Mediation blog: http://www.peace-talks.com/estateblog/