Doing your best to put together a comprehensive estate plan is certainly an important component of protecting your beneficiaries and the assets you have worked so hard to accumulate and build over the course of your life.
However, people who may not have had a great relationship with you towards the end of your life might show up suddenly and make things more challenging for your family members.
There are a couple of different things you can do to minimize the difficulties your family members may face if you were to suddenly pass away. The first is to enable the executor of your estate to immediately change the locks and secure your residence. You may also ask the executor to contact neighbors and to tell them to report any activity that happens at the residence. A trust or a will is also beneficial for preventing someone you did not expect from taking your property.
A simple provision added to your will such as a no contest clause would disinherit anyone who contests the validity of a trust or a will. Furthermore, contest might be expanded to include any concealment of estate property or removal. If beneficiaries are told that the inappropriate removal or concealment of property could lead to disinheritance, they might be less likely to conceal these belongings.
Another good way to avoid difficulties for your loved ones after you pass away is to simply have a conversation with them that the executor is responsible for all of your property. Ensure that all of your family members realize that no one is entitled to any of your property until the executor has decided that distribution is appropriate. Your lawyer can help you put together the right strategy for avoiding these common issues.