Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate
In one family, grandma’s wedding ring was passed on to her son, then to his son. When that young man’s fiance walked into a room full of relatives his aunt stared at her ring finger and exclaimed, “How did YOU get mom’s ring?” Every family has tales about how personal possessions were divided when grandma moved to the nursing home or when dad died, and the impact this process has had on family members.
“Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? Transferring Non-titled Personal Property” is the title of a consumer education program which serves as a model for linking research, program development, and outreach through the Minnesota Extension Service. Two years of research and piloting by a team of 5 county extension educators and myself has led to programming which is in great demand across the country. Newly developed resources include how-to materials, a video, workshops and speakers for consumers, as well as an educator’s “kit” for family life educators, attorneys, funeral directors, and other professionals involved in family inheritance issues.
Family members have been transferring property to future generations for centuries but very little is known about inheritance issues and their impact on families, especially regarding non-titled property. Non-titled property refers to personal property without a legal document (such as a title) to indicate who officially owns the item. Not only is there no research, there are few educational resources to help family members make informed decisions about transferring personal property. As far as we can tell our research and educational resources are a “first”. The interest being expressed suggests that we’re filling an important need and filling a critical gap regarding families and inheritance issues.
Overall, our research suggests that there are six key factors to consider when planning for the transfer of non-titled property, and which are the focus of our educational resources: 1) Understand the sensitivity of transferring non-titled property, 2) Determine what you want to accomplish, 3) Decide what “fair” means for your family, 4) Identify the meaning of objects, 5) Recognize distribution options and the consequences of each, and 6) Agree to manage conflicts if they arise.
More about this program
The publication of “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate” was initially in 1996 and is still sold in the UMN Bookstore (at the same price – $12.50). A companion video is available at the Extension site, “Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate.”