Sister says mom replaced living trust to make her sole beneficiary
A daughter says her mother — who had dementia — left a new living trust naming the sister as sole beneficiary and wonders whether to contest it.
DEAR ABBY: My mother passed away recently. She suffered from dementia and was a cancer survivor, but she lived well into her 80s. It was difficult for me to witness her mental decline when I spoke to her on the phone or visited her occasionally in the nursing home. She lived near my sister, so my sister had a much closer relationship with her than I did.
Mom met with my sister and me several years ago to discuss her estate planning. Both of us were included as beneficiaries, as well as Mom’s second husband. My sister has just informed me that, three years ago, Mom replaced the existing living trust with a new one making her the sole beneficiary. She smugly claimed that she was always there for Mother and that I was an absentee child.