Say a Little Prayer for Your BeneficiariesSay a Little Prayer for Your Beneficiaries

For many, religion can be very personal and important, especially when attending to familial matters. Many religious individuals wish to pass on their personal beliefs, values and traditions to future generations. On occasion, individuals who value religion may want to add provisions to their estate-planning documents to ensure that their heirs continue to honor and respect their religious beliefs and traditions. However, attorneys should take care when preparing estate-planning documents with religious provisions to ensure they’re explicit and defensible. Individuals have been including religious requirements in their estate-planning documents for 130 years,¹ if not longer, but courts haven’t always upheld these provisions when challeng...