It is important not to let very minor items - in comparison to large financial assets - divide your children after you are gone.
Headlines tend to focus on billionaires who fall from grace after committing crimes, like the Ponzi schemer Bernard L. Madoff, or the former WorldCom chief executive Bernard J. Ebbers. But the more time-honored and reliable way to lose a fortune, however, often comes down to just one word: family.
Keeping inheritance expectations realistic can help avoid disappointment and conflict later.