Should I change my estate plan after a family disagreement?

Every family has disagreements. In some families, arguments take place just about every time they get together; for others, disagreements are rare.

While tempers are still high, you may decide to change what a family member will receive after you pass away.

Here’s what you should consider before making drastic changes to your estate plan.

Your estate is your legacy

As you consider changing your estate plan, think about the decisions you made when setting up your customized plan in the first place. You made careful considerations to determine what you would leave to each of your loved ones.

At that time, there was a certain way you wanted loved ones to remember you, and your estate plan was specifically designed to reflect that. Before making any changes, consider whether a recent disagreement with loved ones was substantial enough to warrant changing how they will remember your relationship with them.

There may be time to repair the relationship

Relationships change over time. Once you have allowed some time to pass after a conflict with a loved one, you may realize that the disagreement was not as significant as it seemed at the time.

In some cases, you may need to take active steps to mend a relationship. In others, the passage of time is enough to move past the conflict.

You could choose to allow the relationship some time to recover before deciding to change your estate plan. You may even find that your bond is even stronger with a loved one after resolving the conflict.