Arne Larsson, a lawyer and expert in inheritance law at Familjens Jurist, increasingly encounters people with questions about what to do with their assets.
It has become more common as more and more people live in relationships where there are children from previous relationships. Then you don't have the inheritance rights that existed before or that exist when there are only children you have together, says Arne Larsson.
Serious conflicts
A survey conducted by Familjens Jurist for Sifo earlier this year showed that five percent of those surveyed felt pressured by others to write something specific in their will. Among those who lived in or had lived in blended families, 10 percent stated that they had been subjected to pressure.
Arne Larsson says that there can be serious loyalty conflicts when choosing whether to primarily protect your new partner financially when you die, or prioritize your own children.
Children who are not joint children inherit as a general rule from the deceased parent. However, through a will, their inheritance rights can be reduced to the so-called statutory share, which is half the inheritance. The surviving partner is allowed to dispose of half of the deceased's estate during the remainder of their lifetime.
Such a will can make your own children feel neglected and worry about whether any of the remaining inheritance will be left when the partner dies.
It often becomes frosty between children and the survivor, says Arne Larsson.
Big disappointment
Even those who have neither a partner nor children are sometimes pressured by relatives or perhaps even neighbours to leave their assets to them when they die. The person may have stepped in, helped with everything possible, and made it clear they expected to inherit. If that doesn't happen and the money has been bequeathed to a charity, the disappointment can be great.
The bitterness can then be great for those who have invited people for Easter and Christmas, helped them and driven them to cemeteries and health centers and all that, says Arne Larsson.
He says that sometimes there are demands for compensation.
Then there are often bills too. You try to calculate in retrospect what it has cost, everything you have put in. Then it is another matter that you cannot get paid for such things. If you are going to be paid for helping someone, it requires an agreement from the beginning.
1. Think carefully about how you want to distribute your inheritance. Remember that your will should be clear and easy to understand. If you have expressed yourself in a vague and complicated way, the risk of conflicts increases.
2. Remember to always state what should happen if any of the heirs in the will die before you, or if the organization you want to inherit ceases its operations - what do you want to happen then?
3. Ensure that the will is signed and witnessed properly by two witnesses present at the same time as soon as possible.
4. Store your will in a safe place. There are a number of escrow services that offer safe storage of your will and ensure that it is delivered after your death.
Source: Arne Larsson, Familjens Jurist.
