Dear Pam,<\/p>\n
Q.<\/strong> My dad wants to give me 80% of his business. I have 2 brothers\u2014 they\u2019re angry and say it isn\u2019t fair. What can I do to keep peace?<\/em><\/p>\n \u2014 Shelly, Rockford, IL<\/p>\n A.<\/strong> When it comes to deciding who gets what within families, what seems fair to one sibling will be insulting to another. That\u2019s because dividing money or valuables equally<\/em> is not always fair. There\u2019s nothing nastier than a big family feud over a loved one’s wishes for a business, a home, a baseball collection or even precious photos. Your father sounds like he doesn\u2019t want his children to fight after he\u2019s sold his business or passed away. This is a wise man. He\u2019s spelling out his wishes very clearly while he\u2019s alive and in sound mind. He is actually setting you all up for success. Your father has his own reasons for splitting up his business this way. Perhaps you contributed or worked to help grow or maintain the family business just that much more than your siblings. Whatever his reasons, these are your dad’s wishes and getting this all out on the table and allowing your father to control his own legacy now removes the guesswork and may go a long way toward reducing any future resentment toward you. As hard as it might be, a parent can help prevent a family feud by clearly communicating decisions sooner because the kids might not work it out amongst themselves later.<\/p>\n Watch now:\u00a0MoneyTrack Ep 203: Family and Money\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n