Where There's A Will...Your Thoughts

[Lauren S]

Have you made a WILL...?

Die without a will, and there are strict rules on where your estate (assets) goes.
Last week the rules for married people or civil partners in England and Wales changed.
Got kids? Now the first £250,000 goes to your spouse (it was £125k); the remainder to your children. No kids? The first £450,000 (was £200k) goes to your spouse; the remainder goes to any surviving parents, if there aren't any, siblings, if there aren't any to your spouse. Don't leave it to chance:
Dying without a will can make it complex for your family, especially if you are not married, so the best solution is to make a will, and plan for any inheritance issues, before the worst happens.

Some of your questions might be answered here

http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/infoabout/civil/probate/why_will.htm

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/protect/inheritance-tax-planning-iht

Write a fully legal WILL online and print it off

http://www.tenminutewill.co.uk/main.cgi?d_ref=microsoft&d_ref_2=make_a_will


Make a WILL, seal it in an envelope, tell someone you have made one, and forget about it. 

It's not morbid to make one, it's forward planning and peace of mind:)

Lauren  :)

[Lauren S]

[star]

Funnily enough we've been talking about it for ages......but as yet done nothing. You're right Lauren, it isn't morbid, it is very sensible and takes so much worry off those who are left behind.

Thanks for the prod, now I have to just get hubbly into the right frame of mind to do, rather than just talk ;) 

[taurus]

Word of warning from one who as been there.  Be very careful as to who you have as executes.  When my husband died of a heart attack neither of the  them want to no.  Cost me a lot in both heart ache and money.  Make sure you revise your wills on a regular basis.  Peoples lives  move on and change.  I make a point of revising mine every 5 years. Feb 7 always a sad day for me but makes me aware how lives can be there one minute and gone the next. Its 18 years now and I've learned to live with it but make no mistake you never get over it.

[Lauren S]

The reason I brought this subject up...We've had two members of the family die this year.
One left a will with everything detailed right down to the hymns he wanted...
The other is going to be a mess to sort out...you can imagine the vultures have come out of the woodwork already  ::)

If I had their money and properties I would have loved to have left it to a donkey sanctury, left them NOTHING and wiped the smiles off their greedy little faces  :o

[saddad]

Where there's a Will there's a relative...  :-X

[Carol]

My OH is trying very hard to spend everything.  It took us years to get round to making a Will and made it 3 years ago now.  With me having no children, no siblings it had to be done.  If we had both been killed in an accident with me being the youngest everything we had would have gone to my deceased mother (she was alive at the time we made up our Wills).  This is a good reminder to folk who have not done it yet. 

[Mrs Ava]

Made ours when our second son was born.  Have made provisions for them if we were to die before they are 16 and of course have included my step daughter.  My daughters biggest concern is who is getting my jewelery, and I don't have much, she wanted to make sure she got the lot! Little darling.  ;D

[froglets]

ps - the will template on that link is valid for England and Wales, not for Scotland which has slightly different laws around inheritance.  The tax thing is the same though.

Cheers

[lorna]

Good idea to revise your will. When husband died 6 years ago one of the Executors (our Accountant) had died several years ago. To enable me to have the few (worthless :)) shares put in my name I had to supply an original Death Certificate. Luckily I knew where his son lived and he kindly lent me an original. I have now named my son and youngest daughters as Executors.

[kenkew]

Another point.
Who-ever witnesses your signature on a will cannot benefit from it. (Executors of a will can be beneficiaries.)

[debster]

we made a will when we married 2 and a half years ago mainly because we have 3 children none with each other, hubby thought the will should go 50 50 half to be shared between his 2 children the other half to my daughter, however i said we have 3 children everything will be split 3 ways equally and this is what we have done. my daughter has the uneviable priviledge of having my parrot should he be alive after us (they live 50 years) if she is unable to take him them my step daughter will or money will be given to keep him in a rescue somewhere my sister who is 3 yrs older then me is executive

[Kea]

My Mother died 18 months ago, less than 2 weeks before she died she 1) made a new will 2) Signed a document giving my oldest Brother Power of Attorney!

My oldest Brother is also the sole executor of her will. The will divides her share of the 'company shares' equally been the 5 of us. However the house that she once owned outright is now mortgaged and rented out. On the day her house was mortgaged my brother purchased the property he lives in now and she lived there for a year before her death.

Another paper trail tells us that the director of the company mentioned above is my oldest Brother and he holds 50% of the shares. It turns out that the company is my mother's house. So it seems my brother was so determined to get everything he's conned his own Mother into forming a company and giving him half the shares i.e. half the house not happy with that as executor he's sitting on the whole thing and telling us she didn't have anything left to divide.

The will was witnessed by his ex girlfriend when they were practically engaged.

The whole thing is very suspicious.

[kenkew]

From what you say, Kea, I'd guess you certainly have grounds for complaint. Who witnessed her signature? If your older brother did, me thinks he's on dodgy ground.

[Deb P]

If you have written a will and described your wishes for a funeral (or not) and have signed and dated it, does it matter if it is witnessed or not? Would that be still as binding, or just more open to challenge should someone decide to contest it?

[kenkew]

If you have written a will and described your wishes for a funeral (or not) and have signed and dated it, does it matter if it is witnessed or not? Would that be still as binding, or just more open to challenge should someone decide to contest it?

If it's the only one made out and written in your own hand and signed by you it makes it a copy of your wishes and will stand providing there is no contest of it. If there is, then it's not over difficult to have your wishes altered, especially if it concerns division of goods/property.
It's suprising what comes out of the woodwork when there's something for nothing in the offing!
Those witnessing your signature need not read the contents. They sign to witness your signature, nothing more. Put 'Witness this my signature and the date. They sign, then print their name and their address.
If you want a DIY one, the forms can be got on-line for a small fee, but providing your not talking of anything complicated, it's quite in order to make your own. Ideally, discuss your wishes to all those mentioned in the will. That way there are witnesses to your wishes.
(If in doubt, get legal advice for your particular case.)

[Deb P]

Thanks Ken.
My estate will be little to argue over, but I do have specific wishes about disposal arrangements which OH and kids know about. I re- wrote my will before having an op. a few years ago, that was sufficiently serious to promt me to make sure my wished were documented! I wonder if I should now include some Allotment Committee directives about the disposal of my plots!! Or some decent champagne (beer for saddad) to celerate my passing in style ;D ;D

[saddad]

You're on... the solicitor nearly had kittens we me and OH said we would like to be scattered on the allotment...  ::)

[kenkew]

That's knack**erd the beans for future lotty holders then......... ;D

[Deb P]

I remember reading somewhere that you can get your DNA merged with an apple tree....not sure how that happens! Although how your relatives would feel about eating a bit of you every time they ate an apple........ ???

[valmarg]

Where there's a Will there's a relative...  :-X

Sorry saddad. but you missed out the word greedy.

valmarg