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Losing aparentis something that most of us never want to think about until we absolutely have to.
Its too painful to imagine your beloved mother or father being gone.
And unfortunately for one woman, being the executor of her motherswillmeant dealing with her difficult brothers.
But no matter how old they are, the pain of losing one can be unbearable.
When you must, however, youre likely not only dealing with grief.
There might be plenty of practical matters on your plate as well.
According toEstate Planning, its common for families to quarrel overinheritancefor several reasons.
First, they might feel like they need something tangible from their parent to prove how loved they were.
So we might unintentionally become competitive about who gets what when a parent is gone.
We also tend to feel, or assume were being, excluded even when we might not be.
So those fears might manifest in stress about inheritance.
And finally, if the document is fraudulent at all, it can be challenged.
Contesting a will can be a long, expensive, painful process that can tear families apart.
To attempt to minimize or prevent estate battles,Investopediarecommends that parents take some steps while theyre still around.
For example, giving gifts during their lifetime can eliminate the need to fight about who gets them later.
Allowing siblings to take turns in choosing items they like is also an option.
Or parents can use a lottery system to figure out who gets each coveted item.
Check out the results:
