Most people leave some or all of their estate to their children. Yet not everyone wants to do this. Sometimes people have reasons to wish to leave one or more children absolutely nothing. It could be due to a falling out, or because that particular child does not need the money and the parent feels the money would be better given elsewhere.
Obviously, not everyone will be pleased to discover they are getting nothing. They might assume you made a mistake and somehow forgot to include them. Or that someone else pressured you into the decision. What can you do to make it clear it was your choice to leave them nothing?
Leave them a little something
Leaving a child something rather than nothing is one option. Writing in your will that you wish to leave them $1,000 or even just a dollar shows it was not an oversight but a conscious decision.
Include a disinheritance clause
Adding some text to your will to explain that you wish to disinherit a particular child is another option you can use. It makes it clear their omission from the list of beneficiaries is intentional, not accidental.
Adding text to your will by way of explanation is also wise if you have looked after your child in another way (rather than you actually wanting to disinherit them). For instance, maybe you have directed money their way via a beneficiary designation. Just explain this in the will so it is clear for all to see.
There is a lot to consider when making an estate plan, which is why it is wise to get help from someone with the necessary knowledge and experience.