Trust litigation Attorneys – Inheritance Important for Retirees
Trust litigation attorneys are more and more in demand with a record number of baby boomers going into retirement. Unfortunately, much of the retiring population’s savings will not last them through their golden years. That’s why a record number of them are relying on their inheritance to help them get through retirement. And inevitably, forgotten sibling rivalries are rearing their ugly heads when it comes to inheritance.
Added to this dynamic are parents living well into their 90’s, who rely on their children for care. Often, it’s one child who cares for their aging parents, while the other siblings may not be “as involved” in their parents’ care. This often results in a disproportionate distribution scheme, leaving more assets to the child who cared for the parent(s).
This is common when one child moves in with the parent(s) to provide care. In return, the parent(s) might leave “more” to the child who cared for them, often to show their gratitude and appreciation. Sometimes, however, a parent(s) might either feel obligated to leave more to the child who cares for them, or worse, fearful that the child will cut off care. As a result, we are seeing more and more beneficiaries completely disinherited from estates. In many cases, these decisions are exactly what the parent(s) intended and there are no grounds for challenging the distribution scheme.
But often, the parent(s) would not have disinherited one or more beneficiaries but for undue influence, duress or even fraud by the beneficiary inheriting a disproportionate sum of the estate. This is more common with a parent who has dementia and is vulnerable to being influenced. Again, because our aging population is living longer and longer, dementia is on the rise. It is not a coincidence that so are estate disputes. As trust litigation attorneys, Terzian Law Partners specialize in will & trust contests. We take cases on a contingency basis for disinherited beneficiaries. So if you don’t recover, neither do we.
