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[quote=Anonymous]I feel really bad for OP.  Parents can be so clueless.

Here is my advice.  Since you said that your mom isn't sophisticated about finances, I suggest you really dumb it down for her.  Create a set of pie charts that show in a visual way how much of her "pie" she is currently planning to give to brother and how much to sister.  Then do another pie that is a bit more equally split.  She can choose between those images.  This is usually much easier for decision making that a bunch of numbers in lines on a sheet of paper.  You might also want to do some charts where you show the total amount she's already given him during life vs. what she's given to you and your kids' college funds.

And just be emotionally prepared for her to say that she does intend for him to get 3/4.  Decide in advance whether you want to offer her other ways to think about what is best.  If you do want to engage in that conversation, prepare some very clear talking points and maybe create some visuals for that discussion.

One thing that I did when discussing this sort of thing with my parents (who had planned to give everything to the only son) was to point out that his wife would likely outlive him, and would then inherit everything.  In my brother's case, he doesn't have children with her but she had kids from a prior marriage and some of them are horrible people.  When they realized that their life savings would likely end up in those awful kids' hands, they came around to seeing that their original plan wasn't a good idea.  Since your brother isn't married, perhaps raise the issue with your mom that someone she's never even met will likely be the one to spend her hard-earned money.  That might shake up her way of thinking.

Best of luck!
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