Before I write anything, let me just say that I am very aware of how lucky I am to be in this situation and I am not complaining, but I need some advice and this place comes through frequently.
At the end of her life, I was the only one who cared for my grandmother. I used to go to her house and do all the things that needed doing, take her for walks, etc. Unbeknownst to me, she altered her will within the last year of her life and left literally everything to me--nothing to any of my parents, my 2 uncles and 1 aunt, or my siblings and cousins. Just me. The inheritance totals about $10.5 million, including the value of her house. BUT, as you might expect, I have a lot of angry relatives.
Basically my relatives feel as if they've been deceived by me in a way, although I obviously never intended for this to happen. They expected to split the inheritance evenly which is what was written into the original will, penned by my attorney uncle. However, they were surprised to learn that my grandmother went to a different lawyer to adjust the will.
Now here's the tricky part: my uncle has subtly told my mom that he intends to take legal action. His belief is that I manipulated my grandmother into changing the will and he feels he can prove it in court. What worries me here is that I don't know anything about law and he is the person who wrote the original will. I'm afraid he might be able to doctor documents to screw me over.
My mom suggested that I be a bigger man in all of this and willingly offer to split the inheritance. That way we don't have some ugly drawn out battle that costs money and probably ruins relationships. But here's the thing, I could really, really use the money. I work a backbreaking manual labor job and don't get paid much at all. This money, invested intelligently, can set me up for the rest of my life. I can quit my job and pursue something I enjoy, etc. The money opens up doors I never expected to be open. At the same time, I don't want to go to court and I don't want my own family hating me.
So my dilemma is what to do with the money. Keep it, invest it, live a more fulfilling life. Or share it and avoid hassle and headaches.
Please provide any advice you have. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and respond.