ADVANCEMENT

advancement,n. A payment or gift to an heir (esp. a child) during one’s lifetime as an advance

share  of  one’s  estate,  with  the  intention  of  reducing  or  extinguishing  or  diminishing  the  heir’s

claim to the estate under intestacy laws. • In some jurisdictions, the donor’s intent is irrelevant if

all  the  statutory  elements  of  an  advancement  are  present.  A  few  jurisdictions  define  the

relationship between the  donor and  donee to include inter vivos transfers between ancestors and

descendants.  Cf.  ADEMPTION.  [Cases:  Descent  and  Distribution    93–118;  Wills    757–762.

C.J.S. Descent and Distribution §§ 69, 95–111, 116; Wills §§ 1774–1790.] — advance,vb.

“It is sometimes difficult to know whether money which a parent has given to his child is an

advancement  or not, but, generally speaking, an advancement is money  which  is given  either to

start a child in life or to provide for him, and does not include casual payments, so that a child is

not bound to account for every sum received from a parent.” G.C. Cheshire, Modern Law of Real

Property 784 (3d ed. 1933). [Blacks Law 8th]