April 2 Morning Edition Wendy Schmelzer reports that although most people believe in the concept of leaving a legacy for their descendants, it's usually wealthier, older Americans that actually draw up a will. But no matter the value involved, specifying who gets what is not just a matter of dividing possessions evenly among the next generation.
Blended families can pose a challenge to the divying up of property.
The right to draw up a will and to distribute one's property upon death dates back to sixth century Rome. A complex code of lineage determined who inherited property from a paterfamilias or male head of household. Today, the system is more individualized. Most Americans specify in their wills that their property should be divided equally among the children. However, as divorce and the phenomenon of blended families have become commonplace in American life, inheritance has become an increasingly thorny issue.