How to Make Sure Your Wishes Are Known

If you have a blended family and have a raft of people that you would like to make provision for, or alternatively may be entitled to provision, it is important to receive estate planning advice to ensure that your will is properly formulated to include family members, for example if you wish to leave assets to step-children, your will should make clear that a reference to children includes step-children.

If you have a family member that may be entitled to your estate, and you wish to exclude them from your estate, you should note this in your will as well as complete a statutory declaration setting out the reasons why you wish to do so. This will assist your executor or administrator in the event that you pass away and an excluded person makes a claim against your estate, as while it is not a bar to making a claim, it assists the court in recognising that you have considered that person and chose not to include them for particular reasons.