Contests over wills and other estate planning documents can tie estates up for years and can cause irreparable rifts between members of a decedent’s family. Although it may be impossible to satisfy every possible beneficiaries’ wishes in the creation of a personal estate plan, Tennessee residents can take certain steps to minimize the chances of having their testamentary documents contested after their deaths.
One way that estate planners can avoid estate administration conflict is by making their documents clear and explicit. For example, if a person wants to give two of their children less in the way of inheritances than they do for their third child, they should make clear why they are allowing the one to receive a greater share of their estate in their estate planning documents. Clarity can explain an estate planner’s choices and can make it easier for beneficiaries to accept outcomes they may not like.
Additionally, estate planners should take time to consider who is best suited to serve as their estate administrators. The administration of an estate is an important job and if a person is unwilling to put in the time and effort to ensure that is properly managed then they may cause conflicts between heirs through their inattention.
In the end, the best way to avoid challenges and conflicts over an estate plan is to put in the time upfront to ensure that a plan is clear, carefully crafted and properly administered. An estate planning attorney can be an important part of the estate plan creation process and can offer their clients additional suggestions for preventing conflicts between their estate beneficiaries.