Topic : 01/18 "Fighting Over the Will"

While the mother's  worry that he could exhaust his money is valid she is w/out a doubt wrong in taking her son's money.  If he truly wants to invest the money vs. just live off of it, then a simple solution could have been offered to remedy the situation:  put the money in a trust for the benefit of the boy  w/ limited invasion privleges.  A reasonable amount of money could be given him each year as some source of income/allowance while he attends college, for example.  A bank or trust department would act as trustee to invest this money and protect the boy should his mother try to get her son to "request" money for her benefit (ie:pay back her parents).  I hope they go this route, restore their relationship and hopefully not share their business w/ the boy's friend and his mother 

I am watching Dr. Phil right now. That lady (Aileen) may very well be a sweet and wonderful lady.  She may also be cruel like her daughter and granddaughter say.  I don't know.  You never know who is lying.  My grandmother is mean, cruel, and deceitful.  She was abusive to my father throughout his whole childhood.  He went to the elders in their church to ask for help but did not get any because his mother could not have done something like that. She was so sweet and Christian and baked cookies for the church.  It didn't matter that she made her son drink an entire bottle of milk of magnesia or shipped him to boarding school or hid a letter from his father for 44 years that would have let him know that his Dad loved him.   

My grandmother was left with enough money that she and her  brother have never had to work.  She has just given the money away....much of it has gone to scams.  She is now in no shape to care for herself. She is in a nursing home and needs help but we do not have enough money to help support her.  She is going to lose her house and land to the state because she hoarded what her father and husband left to her.  If she had put her son's names on her accounts, they would have access to it to care for her.  Instead---her brother is going to sell all they own.  But she baked cookies for the church. 

Greed for something that isn't even yours is a terrible thing.  God bless Aileen for standing her ground.  It's so sad and tragic that she has to act this way with her own blood.  Take my word for it, my husband's own brothers won't speak to him all because the family land was going to be sold by the executor (their sister!) of their father's will.  His two oldest brothers believe my husband and his family are not entitled to any money made from the sale all because "dad treated him best'" and "he would be doing the family name injustice" to profit from their father's death. 

Unfortunately, because my brother-in-laws have made my husband choose between what is best (financially, which he is definitely entitled to according to the will!!) for his own family  and "doing the family NAME justice", they have alienated themselves from us.  To this day, (2 years after marrying into this family) I have not even MET one of his brothers, nor his family; not even in passing!! 

It's awful to think your own flesh and blood, whom you grew up with; laughed and cried together with, would do such horrible things to one another - all over some money. 

It is unfortunate that with money some families can become divided.   In the case of the Canadians and their grandmother leaving the land in the will....i can however understand why the daughter and grand daughter are upset.   when the land is passed down (in the will)  there will be extremely high amount of taxes that will cost the daughter.   The best way to avoid this (for canadians) is to take out enough life insurance on the grandmother to cover the taxes.   this is what my family will be doing as our family are land owners.   If this is not done, the amount of taxes the daughter will owe will be extremely high and she will need to sell the land to cover the taxes  (unless she is independently wealthy already......sad but true). 

I am totally disgusted  by the mother and daughter worried about their inheritance and the poor woman isn't even dead! My mom died in 1999 and for years before she died she told me she felt bad for me because once she was gone, all my sisters and brother would be fighting me for what little she had to leave in life. She was so right, with the exception that they didn't wait til she died as she had thought. In 1983 my mother made her will and left her house to myself and my husband. She left money to the others.  In 1987 I divorced and my mom never changed her will. My sisters were always telling her to change her will and take my ex out of it. She refused as my ex was more of a son to my mom than her own children, other than myself.  She trusted my ex to do the right thing and give me his share of the home which he always said he would do. My mom retired in 1992 at age 69 after waitressing for more than 45 years of her life. At that point she sold her car and quit driving. I shopped, banked, took my mom to and from her Dr. apt. helped her write her bills out each month, and even moved back into her home at her request to take care of her (her biggest fear was growing old and being placed in a retirement home). My sisters, one of which lived within 5 miles went for months at a time without talking to my mom. My brother who lived a few hundred miles away hadn't seen or talked to my mom in 10 years. But when she had a stroke in 1999 they were all there in less than 2 days, hired a lawyer (a friend to one) and were going to have a new will drawn up and have it dated before my moms stroke. When I said I wouldn't be a part of this I was threatened by all of them, and was blamed for her stroke by all of them.  My mom died a few months later in o "home" they had placed her in. They immediatly contested her will and after 3 long years because I could not afford an attorney they were able to sell her home and in the end I got $48,000, my ex got $94,000 and they each got about 30,000. my ex kept his shere entirely and no longer has any contact with myself or my 20 year old daughter (his first born), but he has a much bigger house, a Harley, and new jet ski's, while our daughter works full time because we can't afford college. The home that was sold for $200,000 is now worth $650,000 but they all made sure I didn't get it as my mom wanted me to. And with all said the only part I care about is that I miss my mom. I'd give it all and more to have her back. I miss her EVERY day of my life. The peace of mind I have is that I knew my mom loved me and my daughter with all her heart while she was alive and she knew that we loved her just as much. She could not say the same about her other 4 children. I 

I wish the daughter and grandaughter would love the mom while she IS here and don't worry about what is there when she is gone. It is hers, she worked for it, maybe they should try the same. 

I have not talked to or heard from any of my sisters since 1999 and hope that I never do again.  

I am a tax preparer and this show is unbeleivable because the daughter doesn't know what she is talking about.  If Grandma puts the daughter's name on the property before she dies, the daughter then has to use the price the Grandma actually paid for the property as her basis.  If she inherits the property, her basis is what the fair market value of the property is on the day of Grandma's death.  This is all very critical when the daughter goes to sell the property.   Grandma may have only paid $10,000 for the property 50 years ago and it's value today is $100,000.  If it is sold in this case the daughter would paid capital gain taxes on $90,000.  IF her name isn't on the property and she inherits it, her basis would be the fair market value of $100,000.  Then if she sells it her capial gains would be ZERO.   

People think it is so much better to have their names on their parents property before they die but when it comes to capital gains this is the worst thing they can do.  As to inheritance taxes, if the parent's estate isn't over a million dollars there isn't any so being on the deeds would only cost them big time in taxes.  If the estate is over a million, then you should consult a tax expert before having your name put on anything before your parent dies. 

It seems to me from what's going on on the show that Tracy is upset because she didn't get any of the money. Well lady, you got a divorce, so that's it. The money is your son's, and he's a legal adult so leave him alone. I think she's resentful and feels like the money should be hers since she was married to the dad.  

She's ridiculous for trying to get her son judged incompetent. And her divorce expenses are hers, not his. Let the kid get his inheritance!