Money Moral Dilemma: Should I leave my inheritance to just my daughter?

Ebenezer_Screwj

Your suggestion sounds fair but at the end of the day it is your money to leave to who you wish. Nobody should feel entitled.

gloriouslyhappy

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/free-cheap-wills

Lainton70

In our Will we have left 75% to our daughter and 25% to my son as he will inherit from his father.

whitewing

We are in a similar situation. We both leave 50-50 to the 2 children. It reflects our 'parity of esteem' with them. (Our children are half siblings, which may make a slight difference).

We spent ages thinking about it but I believe we have made the right decision for us.

Middlestitch

Nobody else can advise - you need to do what's right for you.

Singlemummy_2

My dad and step mum had a similar conversation a few years ago, in front if my son and his fianc!.

Dad said that when they are gone, everything would be split 3 ways (to his 2 children and her 1 child). She disagreed and said 50% would go to her son, and 50% would go to his 2 children (me and my brother). My brother and sister in law felt very uncomfortable in the midst of all of this and so to lighten the mood, my sister in law said "oh never mind that, just give it all to the grandchildren", to which my stepmom said yes thats a better idea, then realised that the 2 grandchildren they had were not actually her grandchildren (by blood that is, of course she is their grandmother).

A few years down the line, there are now 5 grandchildren, 1 of which is her son's child

lol

crmism

You don't say whether your assets are held jointly or in your individual names - if the former then, on the death of the first spouse, they will pass to the survivor outside the terms of your will and therefore beyond your control.

If, on the other hand, you have kept your assets in your sole names, then it's really down to your conscience how you leave your estate. By the sound of things, you'd like to leave three-quarters to your daughter, in which case all you might need is a simple will giving 75% of it to her.

However, without knowing more information about your finances, your best move is to consult a solicitor who specialises in probate work; he/she will guide you through the pitfalls and on your instructions draw up the will. Beware, though of solicitors with little or no experience of this field of work, and those who over-charge for what is a straightforward matter, and get a quote beforehand - then shop around. Part of my career was devoted to sorting out the mess left by practitioners who got things badly wrong!!:)

elizabethhull

I have a daughter and a stepson with my wife. Given that my stepson is due to inherit from his father one day, does it seem wrong to leave my own inheritance entirely to my daughter? I would suggest my and my wife's estate be split 50/50 with my half going to our daughter, and her half being split between our daughter and her son.

I agree with others that;

1. Your idea sounds fair and reasonable.
2. It's YOUR money, and no-one has a right to expect anything - you could leave it all to charity.


However, we are given no clue as to the sums involved. It makes a big difference to how the inheritors might feel if your daughter ends up with 1/2 of very little, and your wife's son gets 100% of a lot. I do think that whatever you decide should not come as a shock. In an ideal world, the children would all say, 'Fine, no biggie. Why don't you go on a really special holiday and enjoy it yourselves /'

pollym57

Children shouldn't expect anything being left to them as a right.
You have worked hard all your lives for what you have so, SPEND IT. ENJOY IT, HAVE A HOLIDAY. That's what I've told my parents to do. The funeral costs will be covered by the sale of property or funeral plan.
My kids can't argue over mine as I have nothing, but I have covered funeral expenses.

stmartinsdiver

We are not married but we each have grown up children from previous marriages. We agreed from the outset and specifically stated in our wills that our one shared asset (proceeds from the eventual sale of our house) would be spilt 50/50 between our children and our individual assets such as savings and investments would go only to our own children.
Had we been married we would have done exactly the same as neither of us would want our individual assets to go to our partners children.
Our respective offspring are fully aware of this and are perfectly happy with the arrangement.