When Jason died in a car crash last Christmas holidays he was survived by his wife Kim and their two sons aged 19 and 21.

Jason died without a valid Will in place (i.e. he died intestate). This resulted in his estate assets being distributed according to a set formula. The two boys each received $129,000. The older boy gave the money back to his mother. He felt that this is what his father would have wanted.

The younger boy, however, kept the money. He gave up his studies and travelled. The damage to the boys relationship was considerable. Jason’s legacy to his family included a large measure of conflict that could easily have been avoided.