Why Snow White’s Father Should Have Had an Estate Plan
Many of us are familiar with the story of Snow White and the seven dwarfs. Central to the story is the relationship between Snow White and her stepmother. After losing his wife, the king decided to marry again to provide a motherly influence for his daughter, Snow White. While things were peaceful for a while, once the king passed away, the Queen’s true colors came to light. Feeling threatened that Snow White was the “fairest of them all,” she arranged to have Snow White killed. However, as most of us know, the huntsman showed mercy on Snow White and allowed her to escape. Eventually, after living with the seven dwarfs and meeting Prince Charming, she marries the prince, and her stepmother dies (how this occurs varies depending on the source). Although this scenario seems somewhat extreme, this fairy tale shows the conflict that can exist when the unifying member of the family dies without an estate plan. Had the king engaged with an estate planning attorney to put his affairs in order, the outcome of this story might have been drastically different.