I turn 70 this year, an age when people expect me to relax with grandchildren and leave life’s worries behind. But I still have one major concern: how to divide my assets among my children.
I have a townhouse in my hometown, a 1,000-square-meter farm plot, and a house in the city where I live, all built from decades of hard work by my wife and me. To me, these assets are also a lifetime of memories.
I have three children, two sons and a daughter. Over the years, they have hinted about inheritance, sometimes complaining that I “hold on to everything” and that “leaving it later makes no difference, dividing now helps.” I understand them, but I cannot follow their wishes.
Passing down inheritance too early may not be a wise move. Photo by Pexels
My reason is simple: I fear family conflict. I have seen siblings turn against each other over a few meters of land or some money. One could feel shortchanged, another unfairly treated. Eventually they will go from close to distant, even hostile. I do not want that for my own children.
I know no matter how I divide the assets, it will be hard to please all three. Each has different circumstances, views and egos. Someone will feel they got less and argue. At my age, all I want is for my children love and stand by one another, not fight over who gets more.
That is why I have decided to keep my assets and manage my own expenses without dividing anything early. I have already made a clear, transparent will so that when I pass away, it can be executed as my final wish. At that point, whatever their opinions, they will have to respect it.
Some may call me stubborn. But at this age, I do not have the strength to hear my children argue or blame me. I only hope that while I am alive, they will still see each other as siblings, share meals and ask after one another, not look at each other with jealousy. Money will run out but family bonds should never be lost.