Step children and inheritance

[LawlessLayla]

Reading DM this morning (serves me right) and wondered what your thoughts were on the plight of Linda Bellongham's 2 adult sons contesting their late mother's will in favour of their step father.

They insist it's 'not about the money'. Er.. yes, that's exactly what it's about. Their mother knew she was dying for some time and had ample opportunity to consider her will. If she decided (allbut mistakenly) to put faith in her husband, that's surely a decision she consciously made.

I'm mentioning this as I'm wondering if a lot of the hostility experienced by step parents of teenage children (not all of course), stems from resentment and fear of losing out on their full inheritance when the time comes and paying for the life choices of their parent. Sorry I don't know how to link the article.

Well, I'd never buy someone a car either. I could afford to but my dp gets socks and a CD. He can buy his own cars (but then, cars are not a 'treat' in our world, they are a boring costly necessarily, a bit like a working boiler).

Dss mum bought her new dp an expensive car with her divorce settlement and now they are splitting up and she has no money.

It's hard to know what to do.

Dp and I have each left our half of the house to the other, so effectively dss is "cut out". But, it's my home. Dp has left him the first £20k of any money and 50% of the rest, split with me. This is optimistic, dp doesn't have £20k, but he might have one day I suppose. There is an insurance policy to cover remaining cm payments.

I've left mine as specific bequests to dp, dss and my godson, with the residuary split between my niece and nephew. I do actually have some savings so it does mean something for mine.

Dss does pretty well by having me around though. We can certainly afford more, do more etc than if dp were on his own. And we have a better house in a nicer area than they would without me.

So, no, he's not "paying for" his dad's choices at all.

Different attitudes I guess, as with lots of things. My dh and I have no children together. He told me that he intends to divide all his assets equally between his 3 and my 2. His thinking is they will each be left a considerable amount of property and assets so won't go without.

Just read the DM story online and have to say feel better bad for her boys.. Think too much trust in her husband and not enough planning for her sons.