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Facing an inheritance division shortly after losing a parent can have a tremendous effect on a family. There can be a number of conflicts such as second marriages, stepchildren, adopted and foster children. All too often, tempers flare, unkind things are said, and feelings get hurt.

Emotions run deep during an inheritance division and estate planners are well aware of the sensitivity involved, tearing apart of families who were initially very close.

Many believe these types of situations apply only to wealthy families, but inheritance division problems are experienced by families from all walks of life. Grown children of a deceased parent can turn out to be lifelong enemies over something as simple as a mobile home on a half acre of land and an old used car.

There are a surprising number of families today seeking fresh ideas on how to divide their inheritance fairly without damaging family relationships.

Most commonly, a will states simply that the estate is to be divided equally, leaving the siblings to argue over who gets what. In recent years, estate planners have come to recognize the importance of creative inheritance division in order to protect the interests of all concerned without offending anyone.

Families have been devastated over the division of an inheritance and in some cases, there have been tragedies due to actual physical fights over sentimental objects such as portraits and collectibles. Ultimately, the family becomes torn. Siblings who at one time were very close, become cold and distant which was surely not the intention of the parents.

Family feuds are a common result of inheritance division. Such was the case in Atlanta Georgia where the parents of eight grown children left a common will. But nowhere in the will was there a mention of Dale, their first grandchild, which they had raised from birth when his mother died. The will merely stated that everything was to be divided equally among the children.

According to four of the siblings, their parents had always considered Dale to be one of their children. The other four adamantly disagreed. The estate was divided equally among the eight siblings and Dale was left out, thus creating a rift between them which still exists today. It began when a valuable ring, a family heirloom, handed down three generations, simply disappeared.

The day the parent passed away, Dale had disappeared from the hospital and wasn't seen again until the very next day as they all gathered at their parent's home. The

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