Unequal Gifting More Common, Study Says

Increasingly, clients are turning to estate planning lawyers to help with the process of gifting unequal shares or assets to their children. There are several different reasons why a parent today might look to outline these kinds of specifics in an estate plan, but it’s also happening at the same time when family conflict poses the biggest threat to a successful plan. 

The study, from Merrill Lynch, found that parents who have more than one child are at least considering leaving unequal shares. According to that study, two-thirds of Americans believe that an uneven split is likely more in line with current family dynamics. 

Sometimes it’s the concern about a child’s spouse and how those assets could be affected through a divorce. In other cases, the parent believes that one child is a spendthrift and the other is more responsible. With a family business or cherished family home, geographic location and desire might factor into the decision, too.