A few tips if you want to leave something to your ex-spouse

A few tips if you want to leave something to your ex-spouse after you pass away

Many times after folks get divorced they still want to leave something to their ex-spouse if something happens to them. Why, maybe they have children together. Maybe they couldn’t live with their ex-spouse but they still love him or her. There are a couple of ways to leave something to your ex-wife or ex-husband.

In a Last Will and Testament

As a matter of law, once you are divorced, any bequeath to a spouse is null and void. The law treats the Ex as if he or she died first (predeceased). So, if you are going to leave something to your Ex in your will, it should be in a new will that is signed after the divorce.

Beneficiary Designation 

A common way to leave something to your Ex is in a beneficiary designation. For instance, if you have young kids, you may have your Ex as a beneficiary on your life insurance, bank account, retirement account.

Trust

You can name your Ex as a successor trustee or beneficiary in your trust. If you had your trust while you were still married, the trust will still be valid because a trust is a contract.