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What do you have to leave your children when you pass away? Host Jen Zahradnik, attorney, livestock producer, and farm kid, hears this question all the time, and the answer surprises people: nothing. It doesn't have to be equal, either. In this episode, Jen talks through what it means to build an estate plan around your own wishes, and why fair is not always equal.

In this episode:

- Why you don't have to leave your children anything, and why you don't have to treat them equally

- When talking with your family matters most: passing on a farm or business you want to continue

- Why your lawyer can't tell your kids what's in your will, even when they call and ask

- Why you can change your mind for as long as you're able to make the decision, and why you shouldn't wait

- The questions families ask about timing, acres, and value

- How the way something is titled affects where it goes: joint tenancy, tenants in common, and payable on death or transfer on death

- How a valuation can help you treat children similarly, or explain a difference in your documents and head off a fight later

Three things to remember:

1. You don't have to leave your children anything, and it doesn't have to be equal.

2. Know what you have and how it's titled.

3. Make your decisions now, while you still can.

The Back 40 Lawyer is for general information and education only. It is not legal advice, and listening to it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every situation is different, and the law changes. Before you act on anything you hear here, please talk with a licensed attorney about your specific circumstances.