The cause of family feuds over inheritance are not be as simple as greed and money, but often are a result of fear of exclusion, according to author and elder law attorney Mark Accettura who recently gave a talk at the 2015 AICPA Personal Financial Planning Conference. Accettura pointed out that fear of being left out or disfavored over siblings or other family members can be heightened in blended families as many inheritance disputes place stepparents and stepchildren on opposite sides. One solution proposed was careful drafting of an estate plan to avoid making family members feel like they are in one group pitted against the other, and avoiding the creation of a “black sheep” of the family.
See Maddy Perkins, Blood Battles: Inheritance Planning, On Wall Street, Jan. 20, 2015.
