When a loved one passes on, conflict can arise amongst those who are left behind. Well-done estate planning can serve to prevent future conflict for children and other stakeholders by resolving critical issues and providing direction, in turn safeguarding relationships for your family.
Frequent Sources of Conflict
- Disputes over how assets are to be distributed
- Who administers your estate
- Who takes care of you and makes decisions for you
- Decisions around the continuity of a family business
Estate Planning to Prevent Conflict
- Prepare a will and keep it up to date so that it accurately reflects your wishes and current finances
- You may wish to talk to your estate representative in advance to ensure they are comfortable with that responsibility
- Clearly communicate your plans with children and other stakeholders in advance
- Recognize underlying family conflicts and try to resolve them. Unresolved family conflicts can resurface after you are gone, and can lead to fractured family relationships and costly legal entanglements.
- Seek out ADR support to help resolve conflict with others over estate matters.
Additional Information
- ADRIA Directory
- Wills in Alberta – Government of Alberta
- Estate Planning, Wills and Dealing with Death – Government of Canada
