BEYOND FAIR SHARES Avoiding Inheritance Misunderstandings
When it comes to estate planning, many feel the simplest solution is to distribute everything equally to heirs and avoid the fight. That may look nice and neat on paper, but equal splits can feel anything but fair in practice. In a British Columbia case, a mother left her rental property to be shared between her son and daughter. The arrangement looked straightforward from the outside. However, the daughter discovered that her brother had already received close to $3 million in lifetime gifts from the estate, while her gifts totaled $120,000. She challenged the will, and the court agreed with her. In this case, a tidy 50–50 split didn’t square with the history behind it. Situations like this one show how sensitive inheritances can be. Families often read meaning into bequests. Someone who receives a larger share may be seen as being favored, while a
smaller one can feel like punishment. Even if an estate planning decision is practical, like leaving more for a child who needs it most, it can be misinterpreted and lead to resentment. That’s why families need to sit down and talk through these decisions together. It can be tempting to “settle it in the will” and escape the discomfort of hard conversations, but silence can often cause more pain later. Even if uncomfortable, an open discussion gives everyone a chance to understand intentions before it’s too late. Estate planning should be about more than distributing money. It’s also about preserving relationships and leaving behind clarity and a sense of love in inheritance decisions. Achieving this requires a combination of careful planning and honest conversations. It can be difficult, but you can gift your family assets and understanding with the right approach.
LADIES LEADING
THE RISE OF YOUNG FEMALE POWERHOUSES While many people don’t reach their full career potential until middle age or beyond, some of the most financially successful women in the world achieve astonishing financial heights by the time they reach 30.
Hollywood Hustle and High Earnings Best known for her role as Eleven in the hit Netflix science-fiction series “Stranger Things,” Millie Bobby Brown had already earned $10 million before her 18th birthday. Like Grande, she has found lucrative returns in the makeup market, launching her Florence By Mills skin care line in 2019. By the time she turned 30, actress Jennifer Lawrence had become a global film phenomenon thanks to her roles in films like “The Hunger Games” and “American Hustle.” These achievements contributed to an estimated net worth of $160 million. This feat is even more impressive when considering she made her fortune within only 13 years of her big-screen debut in the 2008 film “The Garden Party.” These women prove that with talent, determination, and smart business choices, building an empire knows no age limit.
Whether they’re thriving in theaters or scoring big on the silver screen, these multimillion-dollar media stars have amassed impressive fortunes few will experience in their entire lives. From ‘Star Wars’ to Pop Sirens While still barely above the legal drinking age in the states, British actress Daisy Ridley shot to international (actually, make that intergalactic ) fame for her portrayal of Rey in 2015’s “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Considering that the film grossed over $2 billion worldwide and spawned two sequels, it’s no surprise that Ridley had earned a net worth of $9 million by 29. Miley Cyrus, the daughter of famed country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, earned her fortune even earlier than Ridley. By 2021, the sometimes-controversial singer/actress had built a $180 million fortune at only 28. Fellow singer Ariana Grande, meanwhile, hit the $180 million mark at 27, a feat helped along by her extracurricular activities as the cosmetic entrepreneur behind the wildly popular “r.e.m. beauty” brand.
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