Dear Dave,
I’m 32 and debt free apart from my house. My grandmother died a couple of months ago and her will has caused problems for my family. I used to be her only relative living in the identical town as she got older so I sorted her and helped take care of her because she didn’t wish to go right into a nursing home. In her will she left me the whole lot – her house and property and about $300,000. Some of my relatives said they deserved something. Two even accused me of wanting the whole lot she had and turning my grandmother against her. I don’t love what is going on but I do not know what to do. I never asked her for anything.
Jeffrey
Dear Jeffrey,
I hate when things get ugly between relations, especially at a time when everyone ought to be sticking together and supporting one another. I’m sorry you are going through all this.
Let me ask you a matter. Did you’re keen on your grandmother? It seems like you probably did to me. Quite a bit! It takes a special person to step in and help like you probably did. I feel it’s pretty obvious that she loved you too.
When an individual dies, they may give their belongings to anyone they need. They were your grandmother’s things, so it was her decision. Period. She could have distributed them amongst you and the remaining of your loved ones, but she didn’t. She had her reasons, and her last wishes were exactly that –her last wishes. No one in your loved ones, not even you, earned the whole lot from her.
I do know it is a difficult situation for you, Jeffrey. This has probably crossed your mind before, so I’ll let you know. Generally speaking, it is feasible to transfer a part of your inheritance to another person, even when it will not be laid out in the need or trust. Keep in mind that you might have to get court approval to make such a transfer, depending on the jurisdiction and specific family circumstances.
Or you possibly can let anyone who has an issue along with your grandmother’s decision contest the need. Of course, that would mean you’ve got to spend the cash she left to fight her in court. The lady left what she left. That’s all. It was her A house, her Property and her Money. The others don’t have any claim to what she had simply because they’re relatives or want it.
If you go to church, I’d advise you to spend a while talking to your pastor concerning the situation. Plenty of persons are mad at you at once, and I feel a couple of kind words and an objective viewpoint could do you some good. I’d also recommend sitting down with a very good financial planner – someone with the center of a teacher – and talking about how best to handle your recent inheritance. Whatever your decision, it’s all the time best to have a plan and be prepared.
In the meantime, don’t blame yourself, son. You’ve done nothing flawed.
God protect you.
—Dave
