Don't make a will. It will kill you

[theothermarg]

I made a will after my Ian died without one last year. It was straight forward that I got all his estate but I just wanted to make things easier for the kids when my turn came. I made my 2 eldest excecs (cant spell )but made provision if they couldn't do it I also bought my oown cremation.
It's all about making it easier making it easier for those you love
marg

[theothermarg]

[Old bird]

Hi - I work in a solicitors office and I haven't made one yet!  How stupid is that?

But just for information you can get a free will made with contributions from Cancer Research and a few other charities (in the hope that you will leave them money!, but you don't have to) but worth considering as it is not always as straightforward as saying I want this to go to her this to him etc!

things like putting your ashes to be scattered over so and so ground are not enforceable so will only work as a "letter of wishes" in the "hope" that they will be carried out.  As also the funeral service etc you can only say that you want "I did it my way" in a letter of wishes not the actual will.

the will only deals with things like children and who they should go to, money, property etc and where that should go to etc.  All very important stuff but sometimes overlooked.

I am regularly horrified and disgusted by the "vultures circling" the relatives that suddenly turn up out of woowork or from between stones when an elderly relative starts going downhill.

make sure your nearest and dearest know where you have left your will and whether you want to donate organs too otherwise (particularly for organ donation which is time sensitive) it saves a lot of heartache.

Old Bird
:D

[Unwashed]

Good job Ollie, and thanks PH for the reminder - you're right, it's not something everyone wants to face.

Mrs U. and I made ours a few years ago.  We don't have kids and most of what we have is going to charities.  Half of it was going to the RSPB because we felt they were a good environmental organisation and it's something that's important to us but we have been seriously unimpressed with them of late and we're going to change that.  

[Squash64]

If there is reincarnation then I'd like to come back as one of Squash's well fed and looked after allotment cats!  :)

Only just seen this............how lovely, what a nice thing to say!  :)

[woppa30]

Agree its really important to write a will, me and the Mrs have one which covers pretty all eventualities (me dead, her dead, both dead, me, her and daughter all dead).
One word of advice, update your will as the situation demands it. When our daughter passed eighteen we updated it to remove the executors (unless she is dead). I had no end of trouble when my dad passed away, he wrote a will when me and my sister were 9 and 11  and never updated it. My poor (old) uncle was caught in a bit of a pickle, he didn't want to be messing with my dads estate when I (Dr) and my sister were more than capable of handling it.

[Ellen K]

I have been watching Gerry Robinson in "you can't take it with you" on BBC iPlayer and it makes you think really.

I have no kids and no will - when I die my sister can have it all.  I wont care, I will be dead after all.

But the program made me think about what happens beyond that and how also an inheritance could benefit people who are perhaps more remote genetically but have a greater need for a windfall inheritance.

But what he says that is the most interesting is that these things are never discussed in a family and they need to be.

Interesting, but not easy.