My name is Clare, and I’m 28 years old. Three years ago, my beloved grandparents, Helen and Robert, passed away within months of each other. They left me their beautiful Victorian home in Portland, Oregon, along with the rest of their estate, worth about $900,000. I was their only grandchild who had maintained a close relationship with them, visiting every weekend, helping with groceries, and just being there when they needed me.
My sister, Julia, who’s 31, had barely visited them in the past decade. She was always too busy with her social media influencer career that never quite took off. My parents, Karen and Michael, had always favored Julia. She was the pretty one, the outgoing one, the one who could do no wrong. I was just the quiet, studious daughter who worked in accounting.
When my grandparents passed, I was surprised to inherit everything. My parents had expected the inheritance to go to them or at least be split evenly. But my grandparents had been very specific in their will: everything went to me because I was the one who had shown them love and care.
The house was gorgeous, a 1920s Victorian with original hardwood floors and stained-glass windows. Along with the house came their savings, investments, and life insurance payouts. I should have been over the moon, but something in my gut told me to be careful. My family’s reaction had been telling. Instead of offering condolences, they immediately started asking about the money and when I planned to “share the wealth.” Julia had actually asked me outright if I was going to “do the right thing” and split everything with her.
That’s when I decided to protect myself. I contacted a lawyer, David Morrison, who suggested setting up a trust. It would prevent anyone from being able to claim the property through fraud or coercion.