GRAND Magazine - March/April 2012 - (Page 14)
Blood Money
An excerpt from Blood & Money: Why Families Fight over Inheritance and What to Do About It, by P. Mark Accettura, Esq. What is it that so often drives people to wage war against their own flesh and blood over a loved one’s estate? This is a vexing question veteran estate planning and elder law attorney P. Mark Accettura answers in his thought-provoking book Blood & Money. In it he explains the psychology behind why people fight over estates and provides a comprehensive list of steps that will-makers, heirs and their lawyers and advisors can take to prevent family-splitting inheritance disputes. “Inheritance disputes are not so much about money. People fight over the love they feel they did not receive.” —Psychiatrist/Author Reuven Bar-Levav, M.D.
photo: ©iStockphoto.com/maogg
&
T
By P. MARk ACCettuRA, esq.
he old adage that “money makes people do funny things” doesn’t do justice to their real problems and root causes of family conflict. To attribute inheritance disputes simply to greed ignores the underlying forces that lead families to fight. Money is not the core reason that families fight: money is how we keep score in the fight for the intangibles of love, approval, and primordial
[
“Money is how we keep score in the fight for love and . . . survival.”
survival. Money and possessions also help allay the fears of those left behind. When families fight, greed is rarely the principal motive. There are five basic reasons why families fight in matters of inheritance: • First, humans are
14
GRAND
MARCH APRIL 2012
[
http://www.iStockphoto.com/maogg
http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Money-Families-Fight-Inheritance/dp/0966927842
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - March/April 2012
GRAND – Mar/Apr 2012
Grand View
Safety Buzz: When in Doubt, Run!
Readers Write: Hair Balls and Shark Attacks . . .
Table of Contents
Grand Central
10 Things You Can Learn from Your Grandchildren
Blood & Money (book excerpt)
Grandparent Rights: Second Chance
Is a Prenup Right for You?
Ah, Tweet Mystery of Life
Memories of My Grandparents: Gram
Cover Story: Diane Ladd & Robert Charles Hunter
School Readiness: Wide-Eyed & Full of Wonder
Toys ’n Tech: Gadgets Galore!
Healthy Grandparents: Biopsy: Prostate Cancer
Healthy Grandkids: Smoothies
Bloom with Every Season
GRAND Magazine - March/April 2012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/20120304_v4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/200906_v4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/200905_v4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/200904_v4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/200903_v4
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/grand/200902_v4
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com