Understanding your investments: beyond the reported performance
Investing is often presented as a matter of course. The markets offer opportunities, there are many solutions, and past performance is widely discussed.
Inheritance in Switzerland: why the law is not always enough to protect those who really matter
In Switzerland, many people believe that inheritance is a settled matter.
The law does indeed provide a specific framework, intended to organize the transfer of assets in a fair manner.
But as soon as the family situation deviates from the norm, this framework quickly reveals its limitations.
Understanding what inheritance law in Switzerland provides for—and, above all, what it does not provide for—is often the first step in avoiding unwanted decisions.
What do we mean when we talk about inheritance in Switzerland?
Inheritance in Switzerland defines how assets are transferred upon death.
It is based on clear rules: legal heirs, reserved shares, disposable portions.
This framework has one virtue: it provides security.
But it is also standardized. It does not always take into account contemporary family realities: blended families, unmarried partners, multiple life paths, emotional ties that do not correspond to traditional legal categories.
Situations not always covered by Swiss inheritance law
Blended families
When there are children from different unions, the law applies mechanical rules.
These rules can lead to distributions that do not reflect the actual intentions of the deceased or the desired family balance.
Unmarried partners
In Switzerland, an unmarried partner is not, in principle, recognized as a legal heir.
Even after many years of living together, they may find themselves without inheritance protection if no measures have been taken.
Emotional ties not recognized by law
Stepchildren raised as their own, foster children, romantic partners:
these bonds, which are essential on a human level, do not always exist in the eyes of Swiss inheritance law.
When the law does not reflect reality
It was by analyzing my own situation that I fully realized these limitations.
Divorced twice, in a relationship with an unmarried partner, father of two biological children and father to a foster child, I quickly realized that, legally, only part of my family reality was recognized.
Without careful consideration, certain people who are essential to my life would have been completely excluded from my estate.
Other questions also arose: what would happen to what I left to my partner if she died afterwards? How could I prevent this inheritance from leaving my family line?
These questions are neither theoretical nor marginal. They concern many families in Switzerland today.
How can we approach inheritance in Switzerland with greater peace of mind?
The good news is that Swiss law offers many options for planning.
But you still need to know about them, understand them, and articulate them coherently.
Approaching inheritance with peace of mind requires, in particular:
- clarifying your actual family situation, beyond legal categories,
- identifying what you want to pass on and to whom,
- understanding the existing legal tools,
- and structuring everything within a solid legal framework that complies with Swiss law.
Conclusion
Inheritance in Switzerland is not just a matter of rules and percentages.
It is a deeply personal reflection that touches on family, relationships, and continuity.
Taking the time to understand inheritance rules and their limitations allows you to avoid making decisions under duress — and to build a transfer that is faithful to what really matters.