Since title to real property sometimes goes through decedent's estates, I got to review a LOT of estates and saw a lot of grief being created. I decided I was not going to be the cause of anything like that to happen in our family. One thing I learned early was that the only person who is legally owed a portion of a decedent's estate is a surviving spouse. I realized that as a son, by will I could be cut off without a dime.
My late father materially changed his estate plans about 2 weeks before he died. My stepmother had died a few months before. One day Pop was at the lawyer's office and called me. Pop asked me if it was OK to give my brother an additional bequest right off the top before dividing the rest up. Without any hesitation I told Pop to give my brother the extra bequest. My brother had come to Pop's home to do some job searching and ended up taking care of Pop in his declining time. I knew that in the end everything was up to Pop and that would be the end of it.
My late father materially changed his estate plans about 2 weeks before he died. My stepmother had died a few months before. One day Pop was at the lawyer's office and called me. Pop asked me if it was OK to give my brother an additional bequest right off the top before dividing the rest up. Without any hesitation I told Pop to give my brother the extra bequest. My brother had come to Pop's home to do some job searching and ended up taking care of Pop in his declining time. I knew that in the end everything was up to Pop and that would be the end of it.
