What happens to my assets when I die, excluding cash and CPF (covered by Intestate Succession Act)?

Hi anon,

The simplified answer is that all financial assets will be distributed by the Intestate Succession Act (ISA) in the event that you don't have a will.

There are the so called '9 rules' to follow.

This article provides a good overview: https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/i...

An estate includes the following:

• Everything owned in the deceased’s sole name, or jointly owned with others;

• Gifts made within 5 years before the deceased’s death;

• Gifts made anytime from which the deceased retained some benefits. For example, if the deceased had been collecting monthly rental income from a house that was given to someone else, the house is included as part of the deceased’s estate; and

• Assets held in trust which personally benefited the deceased, such as a bank account that was held in trust for a minor.

Thus, your stashaway, BCIP, Singlife, etc are all under your estate and will fall under the ISA if you don't have a will. And yes, that includes crypto.

Well if you have a spouse only with no kids or other immediate family, 100% of your assets would go to him/her. If you have children, I believe the assets would be split 50/50 between your spouse and children. As for your securities, if you have named a beneficiary, the money would go to them. If not, I believe the securities would go to your immediate next of kin. However for crypto that might be a little different, as they are not regulated and as a result, they may just be stuck in your account forever if you did not name a beneficiary.