Blended families are twice as likely to dispute a will as new research reveals a growing inheritance divide
Adam Lubofsky
New national research commissioned by leading online Will platform Safewill reveals more than half of Australians from blended families (56%) are at risk of a Will dispute, having already contested a Will, seriously considered it, or say they could imagine doing so if treated unfairly, compared with 40% of non-blended families. Those from blended families are also nearly three times as likely to have contested a Will outright, at 11% compared with just 4%.
The trust gap runs just as deep. Only 59% of Australians from blended families are confident their inheritance would be divided fairly, against 69% of non-blended families, and one in four (26%) say they are not very confident or have no confidence at all, almost double the 14% of non-blended families who feel the same.
Safewill Founder and CEO, Adam Lubofsky, says the findings reflect something the team unfortunately sees play out often. “Unfortunately, this can be a common occurrence for blended families.. When there are step-parents, step-siblings, or a new partner in the picture, there are simply more people with a stake in the outcome, and more room for very different ideas about what’s fair. It’s an added layer of complexity that a lot of families don’t think about until it’s too late,” Adam says.
Blended families are a growing part of the picture in Australia, with 16% of Australians having grown up with step-parents, step-siblings or half-siblings. The experience is increasingly common among younger generations, with 23% of Millennials, 19% of Gen X and 17% of Gen Z having grown up in a blended family, compared with just 9% of Boomers.
Adam Lubofsky says the risk of conflict multiplies significantly when there isn’t a valid, or an up-to-date, Will in place. “Without a clear Will, or one that’s been updated to reflect a new relationship or blended family, there’s no document guiding what should actually happen, so default rules step in instead. Those rules weren’t designed with modern blended families in mind, and the outcome can end up looking nothing like what is desired,” Adam says.
On a positive note, blended families also appear to be responding faster to recent changes in the law. 42% have already updated, or are considering updating, their Will or estate plan in response to the trust and superannuation tax changes, compared with 28% of non-blended families, and they’re more than twice as likely to have already acted, at 16% compared with just 7%.
“A valid, up-to-date Will won’t remove grief, but it removes the uncertainty that so often turns grief into conflict. That’s exactly why we’re offering free Wills during this year’s Free Wills Fortnight, so more Australians can get this sorted before it becomes a bigger problem,” Adam says.
