I recently received a call from our company’s estate planner. During our conversation, he informed me about an issue encountered with one of his clients. He provided a brief background of the situation:
Madam Siow, aged 56, has two sons, Alan (age 26) and Eric (age 30), and was divorced two years ago. She made a will ten years ago with her ex-husband. She has savings accounts, unit trusts, shares, and investments. In her previous will, she distributed 50% of her assets to her husband and the remaining equally between her two children. She now wants to remove her ex-husband as a beneficiary and give his entire portion to her children. She is unsure whether she needs to rewrite her will, believing that her husband’s portion will automatically become invalid upon their divorce.
How Did I Address the Issue?
I advised the estate planner that Madam Siow needs to rewrite her will. I explained that a divorce does not automatically render a will invalid. Her ex-husband will still be able to inherit her estate in full as stipulated in her previous will.
Madam Siow might think that her ex-husband no longer has any claim to her estate. However, this is a common misconception. Divorce alone does not revoke a will. If Madam Siow wrote a will during her marriage, the will remains valid even after her divorce. To formally revoke the previous will, Madam Siow must write a new will to supersede the old one.
In Madam Siow’s case, it is crucial to review her estate plan after her divorce to reflect changes in her marital status, lifestyle, and life goals.
When Should You Update Your Will?
Consider updating your will under the following circumstances:
- Acquiring New Assets: For example, purchasing new property or making new investments.
- Relocating to Another Country: This may affect the legal validity of your will.
- Changes in Relationships with Beneficiaries: Such as divorce, remarriage, or estrangement.
- Death of a Beneficiary or Witness
- Birth or Adoption of Children: Including new or additional children.
- Significant Changes in Financial Circumstances: For example, an increase or decrease in income.
By regularly updating your will, you ensure that your wishes are accurately reflected and legally binding, thereby protecting the interests of all beneficiaries.
You may make an appointment with our legal advisor here:
https://calendly.com/finex-and-co-legacy-advisory/tea-talk-with-legal-expert
更新遗嘱的重要性
最近，我接到了我们公司遗产规划师的电话。在通话中，他向我介绍了一位客户遇到的问题，并简要介绍了情况：
萧女士, 今年56岁，有两个儿子（Alan，26岁和Eric，30岁），两年前离婚。她在十年前与前夫共同制定了遗嘱。她拥有储蓄账户、单位信托、股票和投资。在之前的遗嘱中，她将50%的资产分配给丈夫，剩余的平均分配给两个孩子。现在，她希望将前夫从受益人名单中移除，并将前夫的全部份额分配给孩子。她不确定是否需要重新写遗嘱，认为离婚会自动使丈夫的份额无效。
我是如何解决这个问题的？
我建议遗产规划师，萧女士需要重新制定遗嘱。我解释说，离婚并不会自动使遗嘱无效。前夫仍然可以按照之前遗嘱的规定继承她的遗产。
萧女士可能认为她的前夫不再有权继承她的遗产，但这是一个常见的误解。离婚不会撤销遗嘱。如果萧女士在婚姻期间写了一份遗嘱，那么在她与前夫离婚后，遗嘱仍然有效。为了正式撤销之前的遗嘱，萧女士需要写一份新的遗嘱来取代之前的遗嘱。
对于萧女士来说，在与前夫离婚后，她应该重新审视她的遗产计划，以反映她婚姻状况、生活方式和生活目标的变化。
那么你应该在什么时候更新你的遗嘱？
如果有以下情况发生时，考虑更新你的遗嘱：
- 获取新资产：例如购置新房产或进行新投资。
- 搬迁到其他国家：可能会影响遗嘱的法律效力。
- 与受益人的关系发生变化：例如离婚、再婚或关系破裂。
- 受益人或见证人去世
- 新生子女：包括出生或收养孩子。
6.财务状况发生重大变化：例如收入增加或减少。
通过定期更新遗嘱，确保自己的意愿得到准确反映，并具有法律约束力，从而保护所有受益人的利益。
