After the wedding: You shouldn't make this will

First the wedding and shortly afterwards the will? Sounds anything but romantic. Why childless couples should still settle their inheritance after marriage.

• If there is no will in which the spouses mutually commit to sole heirs, the legal succession applies.

• A will can prevent a dispute over the inheritance.
• Experts give tips on what to consider after the wedding .

Thinking of the will after getting married?

First comes the wedding *, then the will * ? Sounds unromantic. Nevertheless, childless couples should also think about it in good time. What happens to the legacy if one of the partners dies?

A report on welt.de states: If there is no will * in which the couple or registered life partner mutually commit to sole heirs, the legal succession applies. According to the report, it looks like this: if the couple is married or partnered in the property community of the gain community and has no offspring , only three-quarters of the longer living inherit . One-eighth of each goes to the parents of the deceased . "If you don't actively reject the fact that you go to the notary within six weeks, you are automatically heirs," emphasizes Michael Henn, specialist lawyer for inheritance law in the report.

If the parents are no longer alive, the siblings, half siblings or grandparents inherit, according to the portal. Together with the widowed spouse  , they would then form a community of heirs .

Read here: 50, 100 euros or more? You should give the bride and groom that much money

After the wedding: Childless couples can create clarity with the will

A will creates clarity. "Childless couples, young or old, should urgently make a will, ideally immediately after marriage," advises Jan Bittler, inheritance lawyer and managing director of the German Association for Inheritance Law and Succession (DVEV) in the report on welt.de. If the relatives should not inherit, a common will is a must , it is said there.

A dispute  can arise without a will . Almost everything that the deceased had then belonged to all heirs - and had to be divided proportionately. At least the things belonging to the marital household, such as furniture, carpets or porcelain, would be left out. On the other hand, when it comes to personal possessions like a car, the valuable hi-fi system, musical instruments, souvenir photos, wristwatches or jewelry, the in -laws are entitled to a quarter.

Read also: Postpone wedding in corona crisis? So bridal couples do not stay on the expense

Draw up a will by hand - a specialist lawyer can help with a lot of assets

The tip from experts to the spouses , the report says:  handwritten a will in which they commit each other to sole heirs. The legal succession is thus largely undermined. However, the more assets there are, the more advisable it is to consult a specialist lawyer .

It is advisable, the portal also reports, to have in the will as a precautionary measure that the still unborn common children become the final heirs. It is also possible to use nephews, nieces, friends or a charity as heirs if the couple have no offspring.

It is also important to know that although a childless couple de facto disinherit their parents with their will , they are still not completely out of the picture. In the event of death, you are still entitled to a mandatory portion  as a minimum. It amounts to half of the statutory inheritance .

Often, however , parents would make no claim at all . If they were not active within three years, their compulsory portion would be lost.

Also interesting: Pay with a card in the supermarket: Warning, it can be that expensive

ahu

Money before the euro: do you still know these EU currencies?

To the photo gallery

* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.