March 25, 2019

Market volatility and the possibility of further estate tax reform all have many estate planning advisers prepared for sudden shifts in strategies, but those aren’t even the issues at the top of the list for most American families.

In fact, a new TD Wealth study confirmed last year’s findings that family conflict is the biggest impediment to successful estate planning. More than 100 respondents were included in that study, many of them professionals in the retirement, estate, and investment world.

More than half of respondents in the study said that trying to navigate current family dynamics and possible future dynamics was a major challenge that required new tools and top tier communication.

The challenges of blended families and loved ones who failed to communicate their plan to the other family members are some of the biggest challenges still faced in estate planning.

Even when a person pulls together a comprehensive plan to address their assets and to protect their family, figuring out who gets what and whether that should be communicated to everyone are common concerns.

Telling loved ones about an estate plan could even spark further controversy for those family members who feel left out or who don’t understand the reasoning behind the planner’s approach.