Dear Eric: My beloved husband of 22 years is seriously ill with a poor prognosis and is concerned about leaving money to his four children from a previous marriage.

When we met, “Mike” had been divorced for five years. I had wealth; Mike had a great job with a secure pension for his life but also a lot of debt. Essentially, he had no net worth. I did not mind paying everything off.

We also helped his children and grandchildren financially and were generous with gifts. It is a wonderful marriage. He is my best friend ever. I will be devastated to lose him.

There is no money to give his four adult children after he passes. He has no life insurance. I would have to withdraw from my retirement account, which is modest now.

I would have liked to be close with his kids, but they are not warm

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