Making a Will after your wedding can avoid family fall-outs

Congratulations! You’ve signed on the dotted line, eaten cake, drank champagne and danced the Macarena alongside friends and family. You’re officially one half of a married couple.

To mark national marriage week, we’re looking at the different stages of marriage and how you can safeguard yourself against any eventuality. Today Kirsten Edberg, Private Client solicitor at Warner Goodman discusses the legalities of Wills in marriage.

Kirsten says: “Marriage is a legally binding contract, and many people don’t realise that the contract invalidates any previous Will, even one written the day before the wedding. While most people are happy to go into a marriage sharing vows and assets, in some cases one person may enter the marriage with significantly higher-worth assets than the other, or dependants who will need financial security upon death.”

She continues; “If one partner has children from a previous relationship, it is important to accommodate them in the will, and make provisions for any other dependents or relatives that would not be covered in the event of death. This includes any business interests, and any assets which may only be relevant to one party, for example, a home that was bought with the money of one set of parents, may need to go back to them in event of death.”

If you’re looking for advice on Wills you can contact Kirsten or the private client team on 01329 288121 or click on their section of the website here.

ENDS

This is for information purposes only and is no substitute for, and should not be interpreted as, legal advice.  All content was correct at the time of publishing and we cannot be held responsible for any changes that may invalidate this article.