How To Cause An Inheritance Row

Inheritance rows cause 42% of siblings who fall out never to speak to each other again. Is there a solution?

Picture the scenario. You have an elderly man with four children - three boys and one girl. He makes a Will leaving everything to his daughter for no reason other than that she's his favourite child. He hasn't fallen out with his sons, he just prefers to leave his money to his daughter. True story.

It takes another family member to gently point out to him that he has four children, not one, and that his actions will almost certainly cause unnecessary upset to his sons and possibly some sibling resentment towards his daughter long after he has shuffled off this mortal coil. Hardly a pleasant prospect for any of them really.

Research by Scottish Widows reveals that one in four families have fallen out over the contents of a Will and, of those, an astonishing 42% of siblings never speak to each other again. On seeing the statistics, a colleague of mine said it was a 'sad, pathetic and unenlightened' state of affairs and he's got a point.

But I can't help feeling that many rows over inheritance arise because there's no Will in place at all. Nearly two thirds of people haven't drawn one up and yet the consequences of not making a Will can be far-reaching because the legal pecking order may differ from the expectations of spouses and siblings.

According to Scottish Widows, when it comes to the division of an estate, 35% of all rows are over the cold hard cash. Around 1 in 5 think the estate was divided unfairly, 12% felt they deserved more cash, while 5% claimed that they were verbally promised an item that wasn't then left to them.

As Scottish Widows points out, a Will, therefore, isn't just about the estate. It can prevent arguments over who'll look after children right down to the dishing out of items that may be worth little money but which could cause unnecessary upset if fought over by those left behind.

To my mind, the solution is to make a Will in the first place and to be open about the contents so, if necessary, there can be a discussion about it. And if you're going to do something to make a point such as cutting someone out of your Will, then leave an explanation so there can be no doubt about your reasons.

And what about the man with four children? Fortunately, my grand-dad saw sense and re-wrote his Will splitting everything four ways.

Find out more in our Guide to Wills and Probate