Example text for letter to beneficiaries

Icey77

Hi,

My DH's uncle died last week and has appointed DH as one of his executors, the other being a family friend.

DH and I are happy to take on the bulk of the work to obtain the Grant of Probate and then to pay out the inheritances to the beneficiaries - DH is the residuary beneficiary.

There are a number of cousins that have been left money and the solicitor that DH and the other executor saw when they got the will etc advised them that they should write to all the beneficiaries to advise them what has been left to them and that the estate was in hand and would be settled as soon as possible.

Can only one suggest some wording that I should use to create the letters for DH to sign and send?

DH is leaning to the informal and wants to just scribble it on e back of a postcard (almost!) and I'm trying to swear him down a more formal route

Thanks!
Icey x

nom_de_plume

No advice on the letters but I would make sure before advising anyone of a potential 'windfall' that they are likely to get all of what has been bequethed them. I am dealing with a relative's will where the cash beneficiaries are likely to get around 30% of what was left them due to the effects of both IHT and other specific legacies. So far I have not advised anyone of the contents of the will and will only do so once I have hard figures to hand.

Icey77

Thanks for the suggestion Nom de Plume, thankfully there is more than enough cash to pay the cash to the beneficiaries even after IHT.

Savvy_Sue

How about something like

Dear cousin Fred / Freda, I thought you would like to know that you are named as a beneficiary in Uncle Bulgaria's will, for which Uncle's friend Merlin and I are executors. There are a number of small bequests / bequests of £x [if they're all the same - or you could say how much, but ...]

You'll appreciate that Uncle Bulgaria's estate is above the limits for inheritance tax, so it will take us a while to gather all the details and obtain probate. I shall be in touch again once I have done that. Meanwhile please confirm that you have received this letter, and that the address I have used is the correct one to use.

We were glad to see you at the funeral and hope you are keeping well [or similar polite burble].

You might want to describe it as a small bequest, or to be more precise, but there ARE risks with that, and you may come under pressure to pay out sooner than you really want to if people have already spent the money (mentally if not physically).

Are all the beneficiaries still alive, btw? You've got a whole other can of worms if any of them have pre-deceased Uncle Bulgaria.

Sorry for your and DH's loss, btw, I hope you don't think I'm being flippant with the Uncle Bulgaria name.

Icey77

Savvy Sue, that's absolutely fabulous!! Thank you x

I strikes the right balance between formality and informality I shall get the letters ready tonight for DH to sign.

PS, love the Uncle Bulgaria

getmore4less

Any under 18?

Icey77

getmore4less wrote: »

Any under 18?

No
All in their 40's or older so thankfully no trusts or anything complicated ... as if getting the Grant of Probate isn't complicated enough!