Sentimental value: Dealing with personal effects in estate law

By Stephanie Battista (April 19, 2023, 10:02 AM EDT) -- Clients like to say that they don’t have any personal effects of value. While they likely mean monetary value, they are overlooking the sentimental value these items may have. Fights over estates are not always about the dollars and cents. It is not uncommon to see fights among beneficiaries that start over a personal item that one beneficiary wanted, but another took. Or perhaps the executors disposed of these items before letting the beneficiaries know. Whatever the reason, personal effects can be a hot-button topic....