I Love My Child Very Much and Do Not Want to Disinherit Him; However, He Has a Drug Problem, and I Don’t Want to Leave Him Money to Use for Drugs. Should I Disinherit That Child?

You could disinherit that child if that is what you wish to do. However, you have other options. As mentioned above, this might be a situation that can be solved with a “special needs” trust. The trustee evaluates the needs of that child, and can do things such as:

• make sure the child has medical insurance in place
• provide food or shelter for that child
• provide distributions based on drug testing
• provide for the costs of rehabilitation or counseling
• disinherit at a later date, if the child doesn’t change his behavior

Through a trust you can control when and how that child receives money through careful planning and clear instructions.