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By the team at randallteo.sg

What was keeping him up at night
"I love my wife. I love all three of my children equally. But I know that if I die tomorrow, there is going to be a problem. My older two are adults. My youngest is six. My ex-wife and my current wife have never been in the same room. I have not written it down anywhere because I do not know how to write it in a way that is fair to everyone."
What we found when we looked properly

David's existing Will, written during his first marriage, left everything to his former wife. It had never been updated. His insurance nominations still listed her as beneficiary. His CPF nomination was blank. His current wife had no legal standing to any of his assets except the jointly owned matrimonial home, which was held under joint tenancy and would pass to her automatically regardless of the Will, which itself would shortchange everyone else.

What we did

We worked through each asset separately: who it should go to, how, and when. We used a combination of updated nominations, a properly structured Will and a testamentary trust to make sure his youngest was provided for long term, his older children received what he intended, and his wife was not left in a precarious position. We also helped him write a letter of wishes explaining his thinking to all parties.

Where he is now

David describes the process as the most uncomfortable two hours he has had in recent memory and the most relieved he has felt since. Everything is now written down. He knows that if something happens, his wishes will hold.

A blended family does not make estate planning harder. It just makes it more important to do properly.


Your situation

If your family situation is more layered than the standard template, we are happy to think it through with you.

Worth a conversation