Man in love is dejected when rejected
-- A Rich Uncle
Dear Uncle: You should not lie awake pondering how to divide your substantial estate. Instead, you should be sitting in the office of a competent estate planner, making deliberate choices that reflect your values.
It seems that your family members are already "lazy" (at least when it comes to you). It is a totally legitimate choice for you to honor, reward, or acknowledge any individual family members you feel close to with more money, leaving a nominal sum (or nothing at all) to others.
My own opinion is that you should carefully pay down your estate during your lifetime, giving to people, causes, and organizations that will appreciate your largesse, while you are still here to enjoy their gratitude.
Dear Amy: I have ideas for grandparents to give gifts to kids who already have "too much."
I have 13 grandkids. We give them experiences: Visits to water parks. rafting trips, sporting events, music concerts, indoor skydiving, go-cart racing, zip-lining and more. Every one of us loves this. We call it building memories, and we have some great ones.
-- Dear Oregon Granddad
Dear Granddad: This is not possible for all grandparents, but I agree that this is ideal.
========
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
