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Sometimes, despite efforts by parents to keep the family relationships strong, parents make a decision to exclude a child from their estate. Many parents wonder whether it would be "better" to leave the estranged child $1.00, in order to avoid some adversarial estate contest.

By leaving a child a token bequest, you're likely including that estranged child in your probate, which can make matters worse for your other family members.

It may make more sense simply to leave your estate to whoever you want to leave it to, either without mentioning the estranged child, or by stating that you are intentionally excluding the estranged child.

Any discussion regarding a parent excluding a child should take the forced heirship laws into account.

This post is for informational purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Please do not act or refrain from acting based on anything you read on this site. Using this site or communicating with Rabalais Estate Planning, LLC, through this site does not form an attorney/client relationship.

Paul Rabalais
Estate Planning Attorney
www.RabalaisEstatePlanning.com
Phone: (225) 329-2450