It's an inheritance one

[Pupdate292]

I'll just type out the scenario and leave it to the vote, I'm a relative to someone in the family and I'm kind of stuck in the middle of it all. Just looking for an outsiders perspective.

So the man has 2 daughters from his first marriage. He re marries a divorcee who has a 2 year old son. His girls are around 8 years old at this point. They all have a happy upbringing, the man is close to his girls and also treats his step son as his own. His 2nd wife does the same with her step daughters.

Fast forward to today. The daughters are both happily married to very wealthy men, want for nothing. The son is also happily married, not as wealthy but has a mortgage on his own home, is in a good job, enjoys holidays abroad etc.

The man has sadly died and left nothing in his will to his daughters. It's all been left to his 2nd wife and son.

Yanbu- that's wrong, he should have left something to the daughters even though they are now very wealthy

Yabu-the daughters don't need the money, he was right to leave everything to his 2nd wife and her son as their need is greater.

ClocksGoingBackwards I get the impression she feels like the victim in it all-shes lost her DH, she's now also lost her DSD and her step grandchild and all she is done is follow her DHs wishes.

Holy baseless conjecture, Batman!

In essence, he has left everything to his wife who most likely co-owns the property.

This is what usually happens. I'm surprised that so many on this thread are surprised.

Of course, his wife can leave it to whomever she wishes when she dies. More than likely, she will leave it to her son rather than her stepdaughters.

To be honest, it all sounds a bit grabby. The father is the only person entitled to decide where his money ended up, so if he decided it was his wife and son so be it.

Maybe he just didn't realise that his marriage invalidated his will, therefore everything went to his wife. This is what happens in the majority of cases. People get married for a second time and don't bother to make a new will.

It’s the sensible way in tax planning terms and it’s what we’re doing. Mirror wills leaving everything to each other and then a quarter each to our four kids when the survivor dies.

If you leave it to your spouse there’s no inheritance tax to pay.

If it is a huge discrepancy with the daughters being fabulously wealthy and the son relatively struggling then I understand what he's done but he should have discussed it and explained his thinking to his daughters.

Sounds like the father has left everything to his WIFE, knowing his daughters are well provided for, and has not named her son in any way. By default, he will surely inherit from his mother unless she makes a will in favour of her stepdaughters, but it's ridiculous to suggest that the estate should have been divided three ways under these circumstances.

His wife has been in his life for at least 30 years by the sounds of things, and is entitled to a roof over her head without having to sell her home to divide the proceeds with two - by their own admission? - relatively wealthy women, each considerably wealthier than their own deceased father by the sounds of it.

The family of the two daughters is being unreasonable and should stay out of it.

This. And maybe this is what you need to say to your aunt @Pupdate292

But she could put things 'right' if she chose to.

Obviously it’s his money and he can choose but this seems very unfair to me. I can understand leaving the majority to his wife whilst she is still alive but I feel it should be split 3 ways after that. Who knows what the future holds. One of the daughters could lose their money or the son could become very successful/win the lottery/inherit from his wife’s side. Their financial position now should not be a marker for what they get as things change so easily. Surely it’s about loving your children and sharing with them all. What about the son’s real father, the son may inherit from there too This kind of thing breaks families apart, it’s so sad.

In essence, he has left everything to his wife who most likely co-owns the property

Yes-so she has inherited half a property, perhaps half a bank account & maybe that's it!

What do the daughters want her to do? Even if she splits the money, it doesn't change the fact that their father didn't leave it to them.

That is all fine until the surviving spouse changes their will (which they can easily do the day after their spouse dies, if they wish) and cuts out the step children. That happens frequently, ask any IHT planner. It can also go pear shaped if the surviving spouse marries again.
The sensible thing to do is to leave as much as possible in trust for the children, and a lifetime income and interest in the property for the surviving spouse.

I agree it’s not about the money it’s about love. If you explain to your Aunt that to her DSD his will says he didn’t love them as they are not worthy to be mentioned in his will. It’s like he wasn’t their father. He didn’t care about them enough to talk to them or write to them explaining why he chose to not mention them in his will but he did include his Stepson.

I know how harsh that seems written down but it’s the reality of how the daughters are feeling.

For those claiming that he should have divided his estate equally between his children:

If every man in England simply divided his property equally between his children on his death, we would have a homeless crisis of epic proportions in this country as so many widows would be left homeless.

But the DDs wouldn’t usually inherit until the surviving spouse dies would they? My FIL died last year and DH didn’t inherit anything because his mum is still alive. Don’t see how it changes anything that it’s step parent, she’s still the widow and therefore would normally inherit everything.

Yes it seems cruel and hurtful to completely exclude them like that.

I wonder though what happened wish his first marriage. Did most of the marital assets ie the family home go to his first wife? He might have thought that those assets were likely to filter down to the daughters through their mother so they would sort of inherit from him indirectly? Clutching at straws here!

Exactly. The son is not exactly destitute as it is. The girls are comfortable now but could be left with less in the future if they get divorced.

That's a good question.

Are the daughters only wealthy by marriage? So if their marriages fail they don't have their own incomes and careers? That would have worried me as their parent I think. That said, if their lifestyles are such that a quarter of the inheritance wouldn't have made much difference to them, whereas 50% makes a big difference to wife and son then I can see his logic.
I don't think it's fair though no, and I can see why they are upset. It wouldn't sit right with me to not share it if I were aunt.

Finally, a voice of reason.

Not if he gave the wife lifetime interest in his part of the property. Many people do this. It also means that his part of the property is given to the children if the wife later requires social care and the house is sold, rather than reverting to the state.

okay he has passed away and his will followed, his wife now has what ever was his along with her son.
however upon her passing could she not give something to the daughters and "make things right"?

The more I read here the more I think it is the family who are in the wrong.

The house was left to his wife as is the norm.

If the wife goes into a nursing home and needs money for her care the house will need to be sold.

Even if the parents were stil together it’s unlikely that the girls would have been named in the will.

So it seems that they’re being pretty nasty tbh. And grabby and entitled to somewthing at this point, they’re not entitled to.