Blended Families and Wills

Blended families - where one or both partners have children from previous relationships - face unique challenges when it comes to wills and inheritance. Getting this wrong can cause family conflict and unintended consequences.

The challenges

In a blended family, you're trying to balance:

• Providing for your current spouse or partner
• Ensuring your own children inherit from you
• Potentially providing for stepchildren you've helped raise
• Being fair to everyone without creating resentment

What can go wrong

Common problems include:

• Sideways disinheritance: You leave everything to your spouse, who later leaves it all to their children - your children get nothing
• Stepchildren overlooked: Stepchildren don't automatically inherit under intestacy rules
• Family conflict: Different ideas about fair distribution
• Home ownership issues: Surviving spouse needs to live in the home, but children want their inheritance

Solutions to consider

Life interest trusts

A life interest trust lets you leave your spouse the right to live in your home and receive income from your estate during their lifetime, with the capital then passing to your children. This provides for your spouse while protecting your children's inheritance.

Tenants in common

If you own your home jointly, consider holding it as tenants in common rather than joint tenants. This means your share can go to whoever you choose in your will, rather than automatically passing to the survivor.

Specific gifts

Leave specific items or amounts to your children directly, with the remainder going to your spouse. This guarantees your children receive something.

Communication is key

The most successful blended family arrangements involve open discussions. Consider:

• Talking to your partner about your respective wishes
• Being transparent with adult children about your plans
• Explaining your reasoning in a letter (kept with your will)
• Appointing guardians for any minor children