A challenge can be created when one child is responsible, and others aren’t.
Varying degrees of financial responsibility by children can be a challenge to creating an estate plan, according to Market Watch in “My son is responsible, my daughter is in debt — how do I split my estate?“.
A common way to meet the challenge if financial responsibility isn’t the same among the children is to create an estate plan that limits how the trust assets can be used. Provisions can be written into the trust, so an irresponsible child cannot waste any money received on frivolous things. This is unlikely to offend any responsible children, if they use the money in reasonable ways.
An estate planning attorney can advise you on creating an estate plan that best fits the circumstances of your family.
Reference: Market Watch (Feb. 16, 2018) “My son is responsible, my daughter is in debt — how do I split my estate?”
