My sister moved in with our widowed mother, -2-

You don't say much about your brother's finances, but inheritances are distributed for a number of reasons: personal relationships, caregiving duties, charitable interests, how much money will be needed for long-term care and other end-of-life expenses, and - last but not least - the relative wealth or financial needs of the potential recipients. If your brother is also on a solid financial footing, you may feel more generous about giving up part of your inheritance.

Your mother will be more of a "burden" on your sister if she signs over her house during her lifetime, because she will have no place of her own to live. What if your sister died before your mother and the house was inherited by your mom's grandchildren? What if your sister decided to sell the house? What if your mother and sister had a falling out? What if your sister ran into financial trouble, divorced or declared bankruptcy? What if ...? I could go on.

Family members get bright ideas all the time about who should get what and when. But that doesn't mean those ideas should materialize.

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Do you have questions about inheritance, financial literacy or etiquette, estate planning, friendship, divorce, or other tricky money issues relating to family and friends? Email them to MarketWatch's Moneyist on qfottrell@marketwatch.com.

By emailing your questions to The Moneyist or posting your dilemmas on The Moneyist Facebook group, you agree to have them published anonymously on MarketWatch.

More columns from Quentin Fottrell:

'I don't want to die on the sales floor': I'm 67 and earn $19.50 an hour at a big-box store. When can I finally retire?

'I'd rather be on a beach in Bali': My husband resents my $8 million net worth. Should I pay for his retirement?

My wife never went back to work after raising our kids. Do I have to share my retirement savings 50/50?

Check out The Moneyist's private Facebook group, where members help answer life's thorniest money issues. Post your questions, or weigh in on the latest Moneyist columns.

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-Quentin Fottrell

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10-12-26 0515ET