When most people think about estate planning, they focus on major assets: the family home, retirement accounts, or life insurance policies. But in practice, some of the most heated conflicts we see at Godbey Law don’t involve money at all—they involve stuff. It could be: A lifelong collection of baseball cards or comic books A treasured set of jewelry or antiques Even quirky collections like dolls, cookie jars, or sports memorabilia Why Collectibles Cause Problems Collectibles carry emotional weight. One child might see Mom’s costume jewelry as priceless, while another might see it as “garage sale material.” Or perhaps no one wants the collection, and siblings fight over how to donate or sell it. On the flip side, sometimes more than one heir desperately wants the same item—leading to tension, resentment, and even fractured family relationships. How to Avoid Disputes The solution is simple but often overlooked: make specific bequests in your estate plan. This means spelling out who gets which items in your will or trust, instead of leaving it up to heirs to decide. At Godbey Law, we help clients take the guesswork out of these decisions so families aren’t left fighting. Options include: Direct bequests: naming a beneficiary for a specific item. Donation instructions: designating items for charity if no family member wants them. Personal property memorandums: flexible add-on documents that allow you to update smaller items without rewriting your entire will. Why It Matters The true value of estate planning isn’t just in dollars—it’s in preserving harmony among loved ones. By planning ahead for [...]