Estate planning attorney Mark Cornwall article called “Planning Pays Off When Leaving Money to Children” discusses the common problem of sibling disputes after their parents are gone and how proper planning by the parents before death can go along way to preventing disputes from arising.  He says:

“when it comes to the sibling rivalry after the parents are gone, it doesn’t so easily come to a halt. In fact, it grows worse because the siblings left behind still believe that money is more important than loving the sister you never got along with during the past 20 years. . . . However, this type of unforeseen rivalry can be easily avoidable by putting enough thought into your revocable trust during the course of your estate planning.  As for leaving money to children, there is much to take into consideration depending on the age and temperament of the child. The older you get, the more outrageous it seems to leave a large sum of money to an 18-year-old.”